The Case of the Union of Nephilim, Wizards and Demigods
by Meggie.starxx
Summary: Wizards, Demigods and the Shadow Hunters create an unlikely team and depart on a quest, to where; they have no idea. The purpose; they are likewise blind to. All they know is that the world will end if they fail. No pressure! A/N: Used to be When Worlds Merge
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: this is my first ever fanfic! Yay! I seriously want to become a writer when I'm older (or even now. YOLO) and anything you guys have to say would be dearly appreciated. Also, if anyone seems a little OOC, then I apologise, now, oh yes, I don't own any of these amazing characters (disclaimer! That's the word!) and all credit goes toward Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan, thanks for being so inspiring!**

** out.**

**(Oh, btw, all of these are based after the series have finished, for instance, I'm going to assume that Clary, Jace and Isabelle survive and that Percy and Annabeth survive and whatever, but you know what? Why don't you comment? Yeah! You should do that!) Ok, where were we?**

**28/8/12: sorry about the whole thrid to first person thing, it's fixed now :)**

Percy

Annabeth and I walked hand in hand along the path that led around the mall, with small squeezes of reassurances from either end. 1 squeeze_, you still ok?_ Two squeezes, _totally fine, not._

Chiron had told us where to meet up with the others, not that he would mention who these 'others' were, nor what exactly we were supposed to be looking for.

We stopped walking outside a posh looking botique, Annabeth snapping shut her phone and glancing nervously around to see if any monsters had pick up on her brief call.

"Soon," she promised, slipping her hand out of mine and instead placed her arm around my waist.

"Hm," was all I said, more annoyed at the lack of sleep I'd endured to make it to this place at eight in the morning than anything else.

We leaned against a banister and waited, making small conversation, but more enjoying the time we had together, the foreboding feeling causing us both to appreciate whatever time we had left.

Harry

"_Reparo,_" I said, pointing my wand at the cracked bathroom. Ginny stood next to me, her wand pointing, well shaking really, at a crack that gaped along the bathroom floor.

She narrowed her eyes in concentration and didn't notice I was watching her until she was done.

When she noticed her spectator, she blinked and blushed slightly, her cheeks turning the colour of her hair.

She smiled but then sighed, catching her watch out of the corner of her eye and showing me the scratched face.

"We have to go now, don't we?" I asked, disappointed. It had been ages since Ginny and I had any time to speak and sort all of everything out.

"Yeah," she said, pushing her loose hair out of her eyes and pushing her wand into her belt.

We turned and started towards the door, only registering half the embarrassment I felt when I walked in, I mean seriously, it was a _girls toilet_, even though that whole affair should have ended after secound year, but still. Girls toilets and me don't really mix (in more ways than just that).

Jace

Clary turned her head up from where she had been working diligently on her drawing, having instructed me not to move, I'd done so for the past hour. I made a face at her and she grinned, her cheeks that would have once lit up like Christmas lights stayed their freckly selves. It disappointed me a little that she felt so comfortable in my presence, I mean, I was _Jace. _I was the guy that all the girls fawned over and then cried over. I was the guy to be crushed on but never, _ever _pursued.

"Alright," she said hesitantly, quickly brushing her pencil over a few more times, frowning and throwing her eyes out of focus. "I think I'm done."

"About time," I said haughtily, stretching a little, jumping up and then settling next to Clary who immediately shut the book, looking panic stricken.

"It's ok," I promised, a little insulted. "I won't laugh, promise."

She narrowed her eyes.

I put my hands over my heart. "Scouts honour. See, I really _do _swear." She laughed and opened it to her page, thrusting the pencilled mirror as if expecting me to shove it back.

It was so good, amazingly good. I mean, I'd seen people draw people as they see them just in front of them, and then there are people like Clary who draw people as they _themselves _see them, rather than make it public, make it private.

I could see my wings, and I could see the conflicting emotions on my face. I was looking off into the distance.

_Probably at name tags, _I thought bitterly. _Wondering how they managed to get Wayland/Lightwood/Morgenstern/Herondale on a single one. _

"What's wrong?" Clary asked, flustered. "Is something wrong? Uggh! I _knew _the wings were too much!" She fell back into her chair.

"No!" I half shouted. "No! Oh God, no. It's perfect Clary, it's just…"

"Too personal?" she asked. Typical Clary. Read me like a book.

A knock on the door interrupted us. Without waiting for an answer, Isabelle barged in, her heels clacking a rhythm on the floor.

"Hey!" I said indignantly. "I could've been naked!"

She rolled her eyes. "Clary was in here."

My silence caused yet another eye roll and Clary to finally turn that shade of red I'd always come to associate with her. I grinned and flopped down on my bed and bounced up once before settling.

"So what's up?" I asked, enjoying the knowledge that the awkward tension caused in the room was totally mine to claim.

Isabelle rolled her eyes, _again. _Jesus Christ, she'll have to get that checked out.

"It's time." I sat up quickly and looked at Clary, she looked at me with wary eyes, the red only just fading.

"Let's go," I said, grabbing my jacket.

**well, there you have it. cya's!**


	2. Chapter 2

Annabeth

I checked the clock on my phone, snapping it shut angrily when I saw that the waiting time had reached the twenty minute mark. We were ADHD for pete's sake! Did they truly (whoever _they _were anyway) truly expect them to wait it out for this long? Losers.

Suddenly their was a flash of light and two people showed up, a boy with hair as black as Percy's but perhaps eyes not quite as green, and a girl with red hair to rival Rachel's. I stepped forward. I wasn't stupid, I knew that when two random people suddenly appeared out of no where, then obviously they were important, especially when they both were littered with injuries and seemed to be preferring some limbs over others.

"Evening," I said, stepping forward.

"evening?" the boy turned to the girl. "You said that it was mid-morning in America!"

Before the red head could respond, I cut in. "Sorry, I was just trying to highlight your lack of punctuality, but no biggy." We all stood their awkwardly.

"Soooo," Percy said. "I'm Percy, son of Poseidon." The teens looked at him with an odd expression but shook his hand. I had the feeling that like us, they'd learnt to just accept when something weird happened.

"Harry," the boy said, with a British accent that caused a pack of short-skirt-no-life teenage girls to swivel and gasp at it's sexiness. And then to notice Percy, and then to notice my murderous rage.

"Ginny," The girl said, shaking my hand.

"Annabeth," I made out through gritted teeth. Percy seemed to tense at my side, but when I saw Ginny's odd expression and Harry's raised eyebrow, I managed a smile. But I was still furious. So now, just because Percy packed on the muscles and managed to actually attain a passable height, all those girls thought he was good looking. _I _had though he was cute when he had drool on his chin _and _when he had to make the hardest decision of his life. I wanted to punch them.

"So, any idea what we're supposed to do now?" Ginny asked, still looking at me like I was about to explode. I managed to smooth down my emotions and smile pleasantly, well, half bearably anyway.

Ginny

Harry and Percy looked so similar, it was weird. Both had jet black hair, except Harry's was more unruly and Percy's eyes seemed even more green than Harry's. I looked at the Annabeth girl, who was still fuming after the group of girls. She seemed like she'd lost Percy before, and did not want it to happen again.

"Greetings, brits," a arrogant voice behind us called out. My hand brushed on my wand and I notice Percy look at my piece of wood. He had a pen in his hand and I raised my eyebrows at it. _Touche, _his eyebrows seemed to say. Annabeth had a knife in her hand, juts hidden by her side.

"Hello?" Harry asked, sizing the beautiful blonde boy with the golden eyes and the curly red head approaching us. _Red hair and freckles, you must be a Weasley, _I thought, internally grinning. The girl noticed the humour that had escaped onto my lips and seemed to smile back. I hope this girl wasn't an enemy, that would suck.

"We're Nephilim," The girl blurted out, covering her mouth when she realised what she'd said, but seemed relieved once we showed none of the obvious reactions she'd been waiting for.

"That's nice," I said politely. "We're wizards." Again, total silence.

"Alright, we can play this game as well," Percy said, half suspiciously. "We're demigods." Even more silence.

"We were sent here," said everyone in one of those awesome moments where everything is in sync and you're all 'that was awesome!' and they're all, 'I know right!' and everyone laughs about it and tells their children about it later in life. This time it went a little more, Percy grinned at Annabeth, she kissed him on the nose (I get the opinion that these guys would do anything for a kiss, which I thought was sweet if not a little endearing) and Harry and I smiled at each other. The boy and girl laughed a little, pleasant harmonies that were so obviously meant to be together.

"Jace," the arrogant guy said, sticking out his hand which Harry grasped and shook. I don't care what anyone says, when it comes down to handshakes, England are definitely tops.

"I'm Clary," the girl said. She looked at Jace for a secound. "And I think our last names would be a bit much." Jace smiled a tight smile that only just reached his eyes.

We all stood awkwardly for a secound.

"So," I said brightly. "anyone got a bloody idea what we're here for anyway?"

Percy

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Not a clue."

"Chiron said—" Annabeth started.

"No, _Dumbledore _said—" Ginny said, and I saw Annabeth's eyes flash dangerously close choking the life out of the young wizard/witch whatever. She hated to be interrupted.

"Uh, no. Magnus said—"

"Actually," I proposed, "I said—"

"Shut up Percy," Annabeth advised.

"No," I replied.

"I think you should go to your Chiron fellow—" Jace began.

"_Actually _he's a centaur, so…" Annabeth said.

"Hey! Like Firenze?" Harry asked.

"is Firenze a party pony?" I asked, puzzled.

"What on earth is a party pony?" Ginny said, perplexed.

"So probably then?" I asked, nodding.

"What—"

"Demigods? Wizards? Oh sweet angel above I think I'm going into a personality crisis."

"I wish," Clary said, rolling her eyes.

"What on earth is a Nephilim?" I asked, tasting the strange word on my tongue.

"Shadowhunter," Clary supplied, while Jace stood around looking moody.

"Oh! _Right_!" I said, throwing my hand on my forehead. "_That _clears _everything _up!"

"Shhhhh!" Annabeth hissed as our slowly growing voices attracted the unwelcome attention of passer by's. we all looked around, a bit too aware of our public display.

"I know somewhere where we can go," I said, disgruntled. "It's near here." Annabeth nodded, she knew where I was talking about.

Harry, Ginny, Jace and Clary nodded as well, and I stepped up the front, pulling Annabeth with me.

"what do we do?" I asked quietly.

Annabeth glanced back subetly.

"Wait it out," he breathed back, taking my hand and squeezing it reassuringly. She smiled up at me and I mirrored it, it felt good to let my face relax. "That's what Chiron said and he's normally right about these things." I nodded and pulled my arm over Annabeth's shoulder, the day already losing it's foreboding edge.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own these stories, all rights and characters go to Ricky R, Jojo Row and Cassy Clare.**

Clary

I looked up and saw Percy and Annabeth, the perfect couple. Annabeth loved Percy and he loved her back. It didn't take a genius to work it out. I tried not to feel jealous, but I couldn't help it. Percy and Annabeth weren't just boyfriend and girlfriend, they were friends as well, and that was something me and Jace were only just picking up on, rather than the constant passion.

Harry and Ginny were talking to each other softly, and from what I could hear, they were comfortable, reliable words. Words you'd use to cushion a blow, words that seemed familiar falling out of their mouths.

I looked up at Jace for a secound but he caught me and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," I snapped. "Why does something have to be wrong?" He recoiled and I sighed.

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "Just tired." After a moment he put his hand on the neck and remained a comfortable pressure there, reminding me that although we weren't familiar and friendly, that we weren't from 'way back then', that we still had something special, we still loved each other and that must, it _must _count for something.

We all followed Percy and Annabeth through the front doors and down the streets, onto the subway and through a few more streets, brushing past impatient people and earning dirty looks from the 'tie, top button' men who carried their spy brief cases and seemed to constantly earn an excuse to pick up their phone and ignore whoever was capturing their attention for whatever frivolous reason it happened in the first place.

I was jolted out of my artist eyes wandering when we stopped in front of an apartment building and Percy stepped through the foyer.

Harry

Percy's apartment was a lot nicer than I thought it was going to be, I mean, not that I thought Percy lived in a dumpster or anything, but he had that 'I've been through _everything_' look to his eyes, and the clean and oddly blue interior was not exactly a match.

Jace sauntered into the kitchen, yelling something back about food.

Percy fell back onto the couch and rolled his eyes. "Please," he said. "Make yourself at home."

Ginny and I dumped our stuff at the door and collapsed down on the couch opposite Percy, where Annabeth had just settled herself down as well. Clary had walked up to the bookcase and looked through them.

"Percy," she called. "What's this?" she pulled out a leather bound notebook, it's front covered with random characters and their distinct perconalities.

"Oh," Percy said, looking slightly nervous, like he half expected her to start shaking it or run off to the photo copier. "That's my Moms. She's writing a book."

"Huh," she replied, putting it back, obviously impressed. "That's hard."

"Not really," Annabeth muttered.

"Well it would be, for you," Percy shot back, although the humour in his voice told me they'd had this argument before. "Daughter of Athena." He pointed at her.

She glared at him. "Son of Poseidon."

"So?" he demanded, eyes narrowing.

"Head full of sea weed!"

Their argument was interrupted by Jace, who walked into the living room empty handed and obviously upset because of it.

"Percy!" he whined. "Why is all your food blue?"

"Just 'cause," Percy said. "Sit down." He said it so leader like, so percfectly, that both Jace and Clary sat down, and me and Ginny turned to him, our eyes glued to unnervingly green ones.

"So," he said. "What are we going to do?"

We all thought for a moment.

"We'll go get Magnus," Clary offered. "He'd probably be the most likely to talk."

"And the easiest," I added. "Unless someone has a magical portrait of Albus Dumbldore, we're stuffed."

"And Chiron is a centaur," Annabeth added.

"Alright," Jace said, heaving himself up and picking out his knife and nodded to Clary. She pulled out a faintly glowing stick, and moved to the wall. She lost her gaze on the air a few centimetres before her eyes and drew a shape, one that looked like a bird in flight. A largish portal opened up, and they stepped inside, not even bothering to wave goodbye as they disappeared inside.

We all sat silently for a secound.

"Well that was odd," I remarked.

"Yeah," Percy said, nodding.

"Definitley the weirdest thing to happen to me today," Ginny remarked, and then remembered herself. "Actually, scratch that. This has been a pretty weird day."

We all sat silently for a few more minutes, the only sound the slight creaking our tiny movements caused to come from the ancient couch set.

"Want to spar?" Percy asked Annabeth, who shook her head, pointing to her brain.

"headache?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "it always happens whenever I think too much."

"I'll fight with you," I offered Percy, who's eyes lit up. He pulled out the pen I'd seen earlier and uncapped it, the basic plastic and ink turning into a metre long bronze sword that even in the light that came from the daylight outside glowed.

Me pulling out my wand was a little anti-climatic in comparison. Percy grinned. If he though he was going to beat me easily, he was wrong.

Percy

When Harry pulled out a stick, I smiled. I knew that it was probably really powerful, and I was probably doing a hell of a lot more harm than good, but I couldn't help it. It looked like the sticks I picked up when I was younger qround the park. He also looked a lot like a geek. What with his glasses and all, but there was something undefinably awesome about this guy, whether it was his good looks or brave demeanour, I couldn't help but respect the guy. He seemed a lot like me, in that he'd seen a lot, and done a lot, far more than people three times his age.

We both got into our fighting stances, my sword a familiar weight in my hand and Harry's stick pointing at my chest.

He shouted out a word that sounded like Latin but not quite.

A blast of red glanced out, my sword meeting it in a blur halfway, it shooting off harmlessly across the room.

I was forced to dodge and swat away the next projectiles he shot at me, meaning no more advance on my side. I swiped forward, forcing harry to duck and retaliate, shooting a curse that only just missed my arm. It shot into the roof.

I swiped down, and he fired one spell after another. It was only after a flock of birds rushed at me that I felt in trouble. Harry was good, there was no denying it. He only missed whenever I made it happen, and I could hardly touch the guy.

I hissed in frustration and whirled between the birds, them disappearing into a pile of feathers before even singing a single note.

I deflected another two spells before we were face to face.

This was what he didn't want. It hadn't taken me long to realise that the wand was, although not a large, a distance weapon, not hand to hand. After two more nearly impossible deflections, I had my sword at his throat and my other hand held just over his wand arm, ready to grab if he looked like he was going to trick me.

He and I breathed heavily, our breath the only sound in the entire room.

"You didn't win?" Ginny asked, astounded. "But you're the chosen one!"

"Actually, I'm the chosen one," I said, relaxing my sword arm and passing it to my other hand to shake Harry's.

"Really?" Harry asked, astounded. He had a very nice handshake, firm but not heavy, warm without being suffocating.

"No," I grinned at his stumped expression. "But I was in a prophecy once."

"Oh yeah, it was _just_ a prophecy," Annabeth muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I was in a prophecy once as well," Harry said conversationally, but I could see the coiling hatred of the thing slithering behind his eyes like a snake.

"Awesome," We sat down and I recapped riptide, slipping it into my pocket. "I always wanted a doomsday buddy.'

**there it is, and i seem to be writing more and more perodically more. Review if you have the time, if not... well, I hope you enjoyed it ;).**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

* * *

Jace

We sat in Magnus' tea room, looking bored, in opposite directions. After we'd taken the portal to the base of the apartment building, we had to wait twenty minutes before Magnus turned up after a trip to the grocery store (which is what he told us but not what I believe, considering the spell book he had been searching through before he noticed us, I mean really, does the man think us blind?) and had let us in and told us to 'make ourselves at home'.

"Are we friends, Jace?" Clary asked suddenly. I blinked, confused, _completely _confused.

"Uh, no?" I asked, immediately regretting my answer. She looked sad.

"Why?" Her eyes bored into me, as if searching for an answer written on my skin.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

"Nothing," she looked away and blushed. "I'm fine." Now, I hadn't lived with women all my life, but I'd lived with Isabelle, and seriously, you can't find a less subtle woman to help yourself work out the fairer sexes language.

"No Clary, tell me," I half ordered. "Please."

"It's just…" she trailed off. I waited for her to begin again. "I mean, I love you Jace," I felt a thrill run down my spine. "But we should be… I don't know. I mean, you and Alec, that's a friendship. I guess me and Isabelle. But we, we just…" when she left off again I didn't give her a chance to even consider jumping back on that train of dark thoughts. I didn't know where it was headed and I really didn't want to.

"There are loads of different kinds of friendships," I promised. "Ours is special. All different types of love are personalized. I promise we can have Disney marathons and laugh at each other. Whenever you want. Besides, I love laughing at you. It's one of my favorite past times." I grinned at her and she smiled tentivley back. I grasped her hand and she squeezed back. She took a deep breath and the wetness beginning to gather on her eyes started to disappear.

"Thanks." She whispered. We sat for a few more minutes and I slowly trailed a circle around the back of her hand, where the shadows of old runes could still be seen. The old clock in the corner ticked louder as the room grew quieter. The sun warmed my cheek and caught pieces of my hair.

"I'm bored," Clary said loudly.

"Well, luckily I brought cakes," Magnus announced, marching through the doorway with a silver platter of cakes and biscuits that followed him through.

"Thank _god_," I moaned, sitting up and taking a bit out of a danish. "I'm starving and all I've been offered is some food that's very possibly been poisoned." Clary rolled her eyes and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Magnus asked. "It'd better be good; I'm missing _Gossip Girl _for this."

"A new episode?" I asked.

Magnus gave me a look. "Do you think I'd be speaking to you know if it _wasn't _a rerun?"

"Point made and filed."

"Anyway," Clary glared at me for leading us so far off topic. "We met them, the others." Magnus looked interested now and leant forward, gesturing for her to go on. She took a deep breath. "The wizards and the Demigods."

Silence filled the room as Magnus closed his expressions to us. He looked a little flat without the twinkle in his eyes.

"Harry Potter," He begun. "Has been marked by death from birth. He may seem not much, but he saved the world as we know it. He defeated the darkest force the wizarding world has ever known. He has survived the killing curse three times." The room dropped a few degrees and I thought of the scrawny black haired almost man from before. He didn't strike me as the savior kind. "Ginny Weasly is one of the bravest witches known today. She has been through a lot. At only 16, she's already been hailed one of the finest witches of recent memory. Her entire family was ripped apart in front of her eyes. Her brother was Harry's best friend." I thought of the red haired, freckled witch that would have matched Clary if it wasn't for her fire, the one I'd seen but no one else had.

"Annabeth Chase ran away from home aged seven. She has been to the underworld and survived. She is the daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and the Architect of Olympus." Clary and I looked at each other; that was impressive. "And finally, Perseus Jackson, the son of Poseidon, Praetor for Rome and member of the fifth cohort. Leader of camp half blood. The victim of a great prophecy, _twice _and the slayer of Medusa, The Minotaur-"

"Got it," I interrupted, feeling awfully unremarkable. I wondered what would have happened if someone had tried to introduce me. It'd probably go, 'Jace Wayland/Morgenstern/Lightwood/Herondale, killed a few demons and has a few extra drops of angel blood then most shadow hunters. Turns out the father he thought was his was actually a cult leader and a mass murderer. He also happened to be really, super hot.' Ok, I debated on the last point, but it _was _an asset, and all assets must be included. Mustn't they? "The guy is pretty cool."

"You didn't let me finish!" He muttered sulkily. "He saved the world you know!" I felt a little odd for a second. I'd never personally saved the world. Sure, there had been times when I'd helped, but they hadn't been personal, they hadn't been real.

"We need you to come with us," Clary said firmly. "We need you to explain." Magnus looked at his shoes. It was actually the first time ever I'd been _sorry _he was lost for words. But he seemed to make a decision.

"Ok," he said slowly, as if even the single word was heavy to release off his tongue. "I'll help you."

Ginny

I sat, bored on the couch and rested my head onto Harry's chest. He was so warm and comfortable. It's no wonder he attracted so much female attention in his sixth year. A light filled the room and I sat up quickly, pulling out my wand. Out of it fell Jace, Clary and third member I'd never seen before with spiky blue hair and yellow cat eyes. Across the room Percy was putting away his pen/sword and Annabeth was sheathing her sword.

"Hey guys," Jace said, relaxed. "This is Magnus." He caught me staring at him and I quickly looked away. The guy creeped me out.

"Yes, I've been threatened with being forced to endure months without a decent supply of hair gel, so we'd better get this underway." He spoke with a strange accent that I would never be able to place. I could hear heaps of countries in it, British and American.

"Really?" Percy piped up across the room, I guess the ADHD thing had acted up. I noticed Magnus' eyes linger on him for half a second before turning away.

"No, now, where shall we begin?" He sat down on a plump arm chair and placed his fingers on his chin. "Wizards." He pointed to Harry and I. "Blessed or descended from Hecate or Trivia and equally powerful either way." I felt a little weird tugging on the bottom of my stomach. "Demigods, the offspring of the Greek or Roman gods." The demigods nodded. "And Shadow Hunters, with a little angel blood running through their veins, sworn to destroy demon kind." I leaned forward as he took a deep breath.

"All of your things exist, just independintley and all the things are far more closely interwined than you might think." He looked around the room.

"The greek goddess, Hecate and her Roman form, Trivia, go around blessing people and taking away the power from people she deems… undeserving." So that explained squibs. And Filch.

"Angels are ancient gods, direct offspring's from Chaos. They oblige under the gods rule but in reality, could do whatever they want. The gods know they created Shadow Hunters, but do not particularily care, if the job assigned to their children can be assisted," his eyes flicked between Percy and Annabeth and Clary and Jace. "Then they were not going to disagree with such a weapon."

"The monsters you all face, the dementors," I shivered and so did Harry, even the memory of their soul sucking ickiness was enough to give me nightmares. "The ones sent from Tarturus and the demons are all different versions of the other. Lilith," he seemed a little uncomfortable. "Was from Tarturus, along with the original dementors and all the other demons." We sat silently for a minute before Annabeth spoke up.

"Why haven't we heard of each other? I mean we must of at least crossed paths at some point."

Magnus nodded at her. "You were not meant to see each other," he said simply. "And now you must."

**To Gaia Was Framed, thanks for your review. It made my day. I thought that Clary always seemed a little insecure with relationships, like how she dated Simon because she didn't want to lose him. But thanks for the review, and I am definitely going to be adding the other characters later. For some reason, I always relate to a secondary character rather than the first. I love all those guys and it really wouldn't be a fulfilled fanfic without them.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**Alright, there's just something I gotta get off my chest. That is, I am soooo sick of Annabeth, in fanfics, always calling Percy 'seaweed brain' and him her 'wise girl'. THEY DO NOT DO THIS CONSTANTLY! ARGHHHHH! I mean, yes, she does call him seaweed brain as a kind of cute insult, and he calls her wise girl because he doesn't have a better comeback, but NOT EVERYTIME THEY SPEAK TO EACH OTHER!**

**That'll be all. (For now!)**

**BTW, this kind of feels like a filler chapter. Sorry.**

* * *

Annabeth

So that was the story of how we met a totally weird warlock, discussed it with a branch of powerful people we had no idea existed and didn't eat because Percy's food always looks poisoned.

Well, not really, because we were still with them after Magnus left. The sun was setting and we really had to clear out before Percy's parents came home. I was on pretty good terms with Mrs. Blofis (she really refuses to be called this, but I have the decency for courtesy) but even a relationship such as ours would be frayed if she came home to a guy like Jace lying upside down on her couch eating a blue skinned banana (they're imported. Don't ask. I haven't) and Ginny and Harry levitating things toward the ceiling as fast as they could without breaking them. Percy was tapping his foot against the ground. Magnus had been gone about five minutes and he already looked like he was going to explode from boredom. That left me to sort out any mess we'd left with Clary, both of us grumbling about the sexism of our boyfriends and wondering why we'd never met until now.

"Can we please leave?" Percy blurted out as soon as Clary and I returned to the lounge room.

"After you tidy up," I said.

"But you already did."

"Well, you owe me, don't you," I asked him sweetly. He tried to glare at me but the side of his mouth turned up into a reluctant smile.

"Percy's right though," Harry said. "We should leave."

"And go where?" Jace asked.

I thought for half a second. I turned and started for the door.

"South!" I called back.

"What? _Why_?" Percy asked, nevertheless jumping up to join me.

"If in doubt, turn down south."

"Annabeth, that doesn't even _rhyme_."

Despite all of this, everyone dutifully jumped up to join me.

"We can't just head down south," Clary protested. "We need—"

"Weapons, provisions, id, clothing, money and a transport plan," I finished for her. Percy scratched the back of his head.

"We could go to Camp Half-Blood. They'd give us what we need."

"We could pop back to Hogwarts," Ginny suggested.

"The Institute is a few blocks away," Jace said, already heading out the door. "Let's go there!" he added as an afterthought, his voice echoing down the corridor. We all followed him out, some happier with the arrangement than others.

Ginny

Jace lead the way to the institute, the clouds that hung behind the buildings blocking out whatever sun that would have been able to squeeze through this jungle of a city. It was huge, really huge. It was such an odd concept, for the most populated city to not be the capital. I mean, not unheard of with Australia and all, but still.

We stopped outside a church. It had a black gate and looked like a huge gothic church. I saw Percy and Annabeth seem disorientated for a moment before they got their bearings.

"The mist," Percy said, shaking his head as if to clear it of cobwebs. "It's super annoying."

"Yes," Annabeth said, looking at us a little suspiciously. "It looks like an old pile of ruins with it." I let my eyes unfocus and I saw hints of what Annabeth was talking about.

"Lovely, let's go," Jace said, swinging through the gate and strutting up to the steps. I sighed and followed, along with everyone else. Clary dropped back next to me.

"I couldn't see it at the beginning," she seemed wistful. "It was hard." I blinked in surprise.

"You weren't always a Nephilim?" I asked, wondering if you could turn it on and off.

"No, I was always a Shadow Hunter," she still seemed sad. She turned to me. "My mother just made sure I didn't know it." And she pulled ahead a little and I walked beside Harry.

"Hey," he said. His wand was in his hand.

"Hi," I replied.

"Impressive, huh?" he asked, as if he already knew my answer. I thought of the magnificence of the Hogwarts grounds. My smile flickered when I remembered how little beauty there was left after the fight. But I still kept my chivalry.

"I've seen better."

We entered the foyer and any light that had been outside was soon masked by the electronics in here. I felt a sudden pang for my father. He would have loved this place. We climbed into an elevator. Everyone disappeared into their own conversations except for me and Harry. Jace and Clary didn't seem too serious. When I say that I mean they weren't even speaking English. Annabeth and Percy seemed to be reminiscing about sometime they were in an elevator. Whatever it was about, Annabeth was grinning and Percy seemed slightly sad.

"My mother?" she asked, as if she couldn't believe it.

"Yes, Annabeth, we have been over this."

"I'm sorry, it's just, well. You're not her favorite person."

"Yeah well, she didn't come because she wanted to set _me _free, did she?" Annabeth sobered up a little after that.

The lift dinged and Jace took off, running off. Clary muttered something about kitchen and I forced down a grin when my stomach rumbled. At _last_.

The kitchen was dark stoned and warm. A girl about Clary's age but a lot taller stood by the stove. Jace physically winced when he saw what she was doing to some perfectly good ingredients. She noticed this and looked annoyed.

"Just order out Chinese," she said. "Luke told me this great place." She turned and noticed us.

"Who're they?" Jace waved at us to introduce ourselves while he stomped off to a pantry.

"Ginny Weasly," I volunteered, saving everyone. Considering Annabeth was crouching over a book that was lying on the table and Percy was trying to see what light a switch he was playing with turned on when he flicked it and Harry seemed to have very suddenly discovered a fondness for his shoes.

"Harry Potter," Harry offered. I could see him waiting for that flicker of recognition, but none came.

"Percy—" Annabeth glanced over and cleared her throat. Percy rolled his eyes.

"_Perseus_ Jackson. Call me Percy."

"Annabeth Chase."

"Isabelle," she said bluntly. "Lightwood. Are you Nephilim?"

A chorus of no's greeted her question. She turned to look at Clary who had come over to the soup to try and figure out if that piece of Lobster always had that odd growth on its head. Clary shrugged.

"They're just as powerful," she said.

"We need stuff," Annabeth said. "We can't stay." Isabelle looked like she was about to say something that would have unsheathed Ms. Chase's knife before Clary intervened.

"Try the emergency room," Clary suggested. "Take the second corridor and then it's about five doors to the left."

"Thanks," Annabeth said. "Come on, guys, let's let them… yeah, let's go." She exited and Harry, Percy and I followed. We all had our weapons out. It was something I couldn't place. A kind of deadliness in the air. We didn't belong here. I shivered and Harry took my hand. It seemed like every draught was aiming on me. We followed Clary's instructions and arrived in a room equipped for thousands of people. There were rows of boxes with weapons and even more with food.

"This place feels wrong," Harry muttered. "The entire place seems to hate us." I looked over at the demigods, who had picked up some packs and were walking towards us. Percy threw one to me and Annabeth to Harry.

"I hear you," Percy said, massaging his shoulder. "It feels like we're trespassing or something."

"We are in Nephilim territory," I suggested. "There was a reason why we haven't met. I'm sure if we went to your camp, Harry and I'd feel the same."

"Sounds like Hera," Annabeth muttered. "Sounds like something _she _would do."

"Yeah," Percy seemed equally as angry. I sighed. It was just another story I couldn't be bothered working out.

We all walked off, chatting about trivial things and trying very hard not to accidently brush across fresh wounds.

**Well, that's another chapter. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Cya's. Meggie**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**Hey people, this is your loyal Author speaking. Loving the perks from the beginning of spring, such as the weather and stuff. Not enjoying the pollen infestation and allergies.**

* * *

Clary

The rain drizzled over the city and I sat somewhere I wish I wasn't far colder than I would ever wish I was. Everyone else seemed fine. Harry and Ginny had created a tiny blue fire inside a jar to put between them and Percy and Annabeth seemed to have actually planned for weather under the norm for this time of year and were wearing coats. Jace was sitting around like he was a bored little hooligan who's got caught out in the rain.

I for one was not able to make anything work. The runes I was drawing on myself seemed to do very little and for that, Jace seemed worried.

"If the Angel's power is weakening, then what's happening?" He seemed truly scared for one of the first times I'd known him. I couldn't answer him, and for now we were stuck on the back of a truck, a truck with stolen TV's and maybe not-so-stolen muddy gumboots with an open roof and a very poor insulation system. We had been travelling relatively south for a while now. I'd seen a few things out of my window. Nothing more than what I'd witnessed on the drives to Luke's farm, but at least they'd kept me entertained. For about two minutes. We'd stayed the night at the institute but we left early in the morning. That didn't help the fact that we had no idea where we were going. Annabeth's 'south' insistence wasn't helping. By the time we'd found the truck, parked at the back of a dodgy looking shop in Brooklyn, we'd hopped in. It was about noon. Maybe stopping off for bagels wasn't the best idea but I certainly wasn't regretting it now.

The fire the wizards were using was tiny. Tiny and _blue_. I didn't understand how the light continued to shine even though I'd never seen them feed it any twigs or kindling. I tucked my hands under my arm pits and tried not to glare at them too openly. There was a chance they were paying us back for something horrible, not that I could think of anything I'd done. The truck bounced over a bump and the entire trailer bounced.

"I'm seriously cold," I muttered, pulling out my hands and trying to circulate a little blood through them. "Ughh. Yuck."

"Tell me about it," Annabeth said. "It hasn't been this cold in… well, ages. I mean, it's _summer_. Isn't it?" She shouted this last bit directly up into the air.

"Yes."

"Percy, it was rhetorical. And besides, it wasn't aimed at you."

He pointed at her like she'd figured out time travel. "But it _could _have been." She was starting to look annoyed.

"But it _wasn't_."

"This truck is roomy," Harry interrupted. "I like it."

"Mmmmm," Ginny said, casting her eye critically over the dried oil stains and the grease on the walls. "Prime location."

"Moving is not a location," Jace said.

"But it could be," Ginny insisted. Harry hid a smile.

"No, it's not."

"Well, if you can be wherever you want, wouldn't you call _that _a location?"

"No. Not at all."

"But someone might. _I _do."

"And you're one in a million," Jace said endearingly.

"How many people are there in the world?" Jace looked puzzled at her question. "Scrap that, how many people are there in the United States?"

"Uhh, a lot?" He guessed.

"Oh," she replied a little caught off guard. "Well, I'm going to assume that there's, uh, a few million, right?" She directed the last question at the rest of us.

"Um, probably?" Percy asked.

Annabeth sighed. "There are 305,689,000 people as of 2010."

"So that's like, a lot of people with different opinions, right?" Ginny pushed.

"Yeah, so?" Jace asked.

"Well, there'll be a fair few who are susceptible to certain times of brain washing."

Jace pointed at her. "Illegal."

Ginny scrunched up her face. "No it isn't."

"Is."

"Isn't."

"Is."

"Shut up," Percy moaned.

"Isn't."

"You guys are giving me a migraine."

"Is."

"Seriously, I will throw you out of this truck."

"_Isn't_."

"I'm _not _joking."

"Is."

And, I'm afraid to say, this continued until the next petrol station, where things _really _started going wrong.

Harry

The truck lurched to a stop just as the rhythmic stubbornness that had continued around me started to lull me into boredom so deep I nearly dozed off. I flicked out my wand and put out the fire. It snapped out and I rolled the jar between some boxes. A bang hit the side of the truck and I twitched around.

"What was that?" I mouthed to Percy. He shrugged but looked worried. He had pulled out his pen and as I watched he clicked it. His sword sprung up and he gripped it tightly. I stood up slowly, pointing my wand out in front of me. The entire trailer watched me with fearful eyes as I stuck to the edges, wand held out in front of me. Thankfully, I'd eventually perfected non-verbal spells and my wand seemed less likely to cause ear-related alarm than before. I found a hole perfectly sized for my eye and I peered out.

It had gotten dark, very dark, but that didn't stop the luminescence from the Petrol station lighting up the scene. I almost wished it was dark.

There were our drivers, the smugglers. Both with horrendous wounds to their head and chest. Blood oozed in a sickening trail down to the drain. Flies buzzed gruesomely around the head wounds and landed in them. Walking around. I struggled not to stagger when I moved back, but I couldn't help the sound of revulsion that escaped into the night air.

"Is it…" Ginny whispered up to me. I nodded, even though we both had no idea what was happening. It was one of those confusing moments in life where relying on your instincts is more than important and you simply have to trust that your actions are the right ones. SO I didn't question it when I pulled out my wand and when I lit its end.

I crept toward the back, wand held up right. I looked back and saw the others in relatively similar positions. Everyone was armed, even Clary, who had grabbed hold of a knife not unlike Jace's. They whispered and the blades lit up like a lamp.

I moved closer to Ginny. "Reducto in three, two, one…"

"REDUCTO!" WE both yelled simultaneously, the combined force from our wands knocking the door clean off its hinges. It fell to the ground in a bang and we moved out of the truck, surrounding the entrance in a semicircle. I held my wand high up into the air.

It moved first. It was huge and black and two metres away from snapping Ginny's head off.

"Impedimenta!" It paused in midflight and I threw another spell at it. It erupted into flames and burnt into nothing on the ground in a matter of seconds. All around me the things were flying at us. Deadly silent and practically invisible in the darkness, they were nearly impossible to anticipate. I stunned one and exploded another, keeping my wand up. I could see Percy and Annabeth slicing them to dust and then Jace and Clary lop off their heads as though they were chopping up warmed butter.

One flew at me and I duck, but I grabbed onto the corner of my shirt. I reached up and hit its foot as hard as I could. It screeched but didn't let go. I could see the light from the stations grow fainter as I was taken further away.

_Come on Harry_, I begged to myself. _Half an inch_. I swore and threw up a stunning curse. We plummeted to the ground. I apparated in the last second, turning in the air with a crack that sounded as far as I could see.

I appeared at Ginny's side just as she hexed a monster that had been the last of their formations of three.

"How many are there?" I yelled to her, hexing two at once, impatiently shoving my glasses up my nose.

"It's hard to say," Ginny called back, stopping two in their tracks and flinging them off. "It's too dark to tell."

"Protego on three," I commanded. "One, two three…" We cast the shield around us and forced it back behind the others. I directed my wand upward and the hole up there closed.

"We can't keep this up," Percy said, his voice echoing around the small space. All round us the monsters began to thump themselves on the shield. Now that I wasn't fighting for my life, I could see what they were. They were pitch black and dead ugly. They seemed like super sized bats except they had long legs each equipped with very able looking feet. They started to work together, banging all their bodies against the shield. I winced when I saw the spell waver.

"No, we can't" I agreed. "Ginny and I could take each of you for side along Apparition, but we don't know where to go."

"We could get an elf," Ginny suggested. "Dobby didn't need to have been at the place to take you there." I swallowed my still fresh regret over the house elf's death and nodded. I'd met up with Kreacher a few days after the battle.

"Kreacher!" I bellowed, my voice threw itself around, resonating off the acoustically sound shield dome. Then we waited.

All the monsters had teamed up and were throwing themselves at us in reckless abandon. I gripped my wand harder and set my mouth into one hard line.

**…yeah. Thanks for reading, hope to update soon (don't know though, pretty busy recently) and yeah. So, review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**So, here's my next bit. Looking for a challenge? Count in prime numbers. I'm lost after 13.**

* * *

Percy

I stood near Annabeth, my heartbeat and breathing calming down and the first drops of sweat cooling. It was windless and weird inside the dome thingy; it was unnatural.

"Ok, so what's happening?" I asked, rubbing my shoulder. "Seriously, why do we need an elf?"

"Transportation services," Harry replied.

"Not following," Jace cut in.

"Not surprised," I stage-whispered. He glared at me.

"Elves don't need to have been where they're going to take you before they take you."

"And you do?" Annabeth guessed.

"Yeah, well, some of us don't, but most do," Ginny replied. Clary made a small noise of frustration.

"If only my Steele was working… ugh, but, well, it's just…" she seemed lost.

"Why isn't it working?" I asked, trying to not imagine the major freak out I'd have if one day Riptide decided to have a day off.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head. She looked like she was about to cry. Jace hugged his arms around her and glared at me like I was personally responsible.

"Maybe the angel's power is fading," Annabeth said, recalling all the information Magnus gave us. "That's where you get your powers, right?" Clary looked confused.

"Originally," Jace supplied. "But we always thought that we were the way we were because of that first day, not later. If that was true, I'd be seriously surprised." His tone turned dark toward the end.

"Maybe the Angel was helping more than you thought," Ginny's small voice poked up through the confusion. "Maybe they're otherwise occupied."

All of a sudden, a crack erupted in the dead centre of our protection. The monsters seemed to have picked up on the breach and had started throwing themselves even harder.

"I am not envying you in the morning," I said to them. The crack had well, I suppose _created, _this ugly tiny little troll thing with huge ears and a disgusting piece of fabric wrapped around it's middle. I tried not to wretch. The elf turned toward Harry and bowed.

"Get up, Kreacher," Harry said impatiently. "Ok, do exactly as I say and nothing else." I could practically taste his mistrust of Kreacher, and for Ginny it seemed almost worse. I wondered what he had done.

"Whatever Master Harry desires," Kreacher said, his voice high and scraggly. "Kreacher shall get."

"This more applies to what I want you to do," Harry said. "Ok, take those two," he pointed to me and Annabeth, "and take them, er, far away, but not too far." Kreacher eyed us suspiciously.

"Who are they?" He asked, squinting his eyes at us.

"Half-bloods," I supplied. Kreacher stepped back as if he'd been struck.

"Mangy half-bloods! Foul blood mixing fools! Kreacher won't! Kreacher won't, won't, won't!" He threw himself to the floor and began pounding it with his fists. I looked at Annabeth but she seemed just as shocked as me. Jace and Clary seemed equally astounded. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Kreacher, get up." Kreacher, despite muttering foul language under his breath, stood. "Now, we have been over this. Hermione, remember?" Kreacher sniffed and stopped cussing, walking over to us carefully.

"Is he insane?" I mouthed to Harry. He grinned but shook his head. I cast him a distrustful eye but grabbed hold of Kreacher's grubby outreaching hand.

"I think he's insane," I mumbled to Annabeth.

"He's probably going to take us away to throw us down a hole or something," she murmured back. Harry seemed to have the same thoughts so when we were just about to leave he looked at Kreacher for a steady moment.

"A forest Kreacher, a nice one," he warned. Kreacher bowed, it seemed mockery to me but Harry seemed to accept it. That didn't help my indecision when we disappeared fast and loudly.

* * *

We arrived out the front of a forest. It took me a minute to get my bareings. I felt Kreacher pull his hands out of ours and disappear, a lot faster than I would have thought neccisary, but hey, it's not like I'm famous for my charisma. Just ask Ares. Or all my ex-teachers.

I rolled my shoulders and looked around. To our backs was a forest that seemed to stretch in every direction. In front of us was a school, with drink fountains and a big sign that said 'school' in bright yellow letters.

"Look, a school."

"Shut up, seaweed brain," Annabeth replied, biting her lip at the forest. We didn't have much longer for conversation because a few moments later, Jace and Clary popped up, Kreacher seeming much kinder to them than he was to me.

"I wasn't expelled from that one."

"I'm surprised." Her tone was dry.

"You know where we are?" Jace asked, running his hand through his hair.

"No," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Hey!" Clary said, catching the big yellow letters in the corner of her eye. "A school!"

A grin crept up onto Annabeth's face. "We saw."

"You mean _I _saw." She didn't bother to reply to that one. There was another flash and Harry and Ginny arrived, a much happier Kreacher standing between them.

"Will that be all, Master Harry?" Kreacher asked, letting their hands drop to their sides.

"Yes, thank you Kreacher," Harry responded. Kreacher disappeared with another loud crack.

"Why wasn't he wearing any clothes?" I blurted out the second he disappeared.

"Uh, because that would mean he'd be free," Harry said, as though he knew exactly how we were going to take it but had no idea how to rephrase.

Annabeth

"You mean he's a slave?" I snapped.

"Um, well, no see, he's a house elf," Ginny said.

"A very _devoted _house elf," Harry added.

"So?" Clary said, getting angry as well.

"You agree with this?" Percy asked. Even Jace looked disgusted.

"It's their nature, it's… ugh. I'm not going to be able to really explain this to you without sounding completely inhumane. Ok, most wizard's are nice to their elves. The few that aren't, well, I definitely don't agree with that, but elves enjoy looking after you. It's just their nature, it's the way they were made. If you were to give them the choice, they'd stay where they are, every time."

We all turned to the forest and began to walk through, absently taking the easier routes.

"That's because they think that it's ok for them to be slaves!" I said hotly. "They don't _know _any better!"

Harry faintly smiled. "You sound like Hermione."

"Look," Ginny cut in. "Firstly, I don't agree with House elves, but Kreacher would probably kill himself without work. Also, don't you think _you _are slaves? From what it sounds like, you have to do whatever the gods tell you to and have absolutely no say in the matter. The last time I checked, that seemed like slavery. And you!" she turned to the Shadow Hunter's. "You _have _to devote your entire life to destroying demon-kind, not only that but if you don't, you're excommunicated! Where's the fairness in that?"

To that we had no answer. We came to a halt and stood like that for a few seconds, Ginny's face a mixture of resentment, anger and apology and the thoughts of all my life had become whirring around my mind like one of Percy's tornados.

Harry put his hand on Ginny's shoulder and she lost most of her emotions and just looked sad. I felt bad then, I knew that they were good people. I should have trusted them.

"Um, look," Jace spoke up. "We have to leave. I'm not saying I particularly _hate _you people, entirely, it's just I'm not overly fond of the world being destroyed. So, _may _we move along?" There was a grumble of reply and we turned to take in the forest better. The branches were long and thin and the leaves were a shade of green so dark it looked black with the lack of light. One thing was for sure, this forest wasn't welcoming us.

Clary sighed. "This is going to be a long night."

"Hardly," a familiar and much missed voice poked up from the trees. I jerked my eyes to where the sound was coming from. Wherever Thalia was hiding, she had certainly done a good job of it. I looked at the rest of the group and noted their looks of shock and fear. I caught Percy's eye and saw his smile.

"Thalia?" I asked, hoping beyond anything that it wasn't another cyclopes.

A black haired head poked down from the branches, complete with the silver, glistening lieutenants tiara that wrapped around her brow.

"Thalia!" I called happily, skipping forward as Thalia fell out of the tree and landed easily on her feet. She still seemed equally healthy as she had since the last time I'd seen her. I landed with a huge hug.

"I can't believe it!" I had missed her so much.

"Hey, Annie!" she laughed at the response she had already planned out. But I still scowled and punched her rib cage.

"Don't," I punched her again for good measure. "call me that." She laughed and ruffled my hair. It was so odd to see her the way I had seen her all those years ago when she'd signed up for the hunter's. She now looked younger than me.

"Hey Sparky," Percy said, grinning and fist pumping her. He turned to the group, missing her glare.

"Kelp head," she bowed mockingly. Percy looked like he was waging a war between annoyance and hilarity and chose the latter.

She turned to the group. "The Lady of the Wild things, Artemis, requests that you stay with her and the huntresses for tonight. She received a note from her brother Apollo that it had some kind of importance, so yeah. If you don't she'll turn you into Jackalope's." She added the last bit as an afterthought.

"So that's settled then," Jace muttered. We started to follow her along a path that was obvious once you followed it but impossible to find if you didn't know exactly what to look for. I widened my eyes at him and thankfully, he seemed to catch the hint and refrained from continuing his mumblings.

"This is Thalia." He began to go into detail about our relationship with her but it became a little confusing and the lateness was starting to affect the strength of my eyelids.

Thankfully, Thalia interrupted. "Seriously Percy, you _can _walk and talk at the same time, can't you? I mean, it _is _a basic human requirement after all." We began to walk and Percy, Thalia and I strayed to the front.

"Well, Thalia, a brain falls into that category but I don't see any evidence of yours."

"Ooo! Burnt!" Thalia hissed, laughing.

"Yes, about time you acknowledged my superiority."

"Oh, shut _up_!"

I grinned at them and felt at home. All we needed now was Tyson, Grover and Nico and everything would be like it was in the old days.

**So, how'd you like it? I just want to give a HUGE thanks to my playlist. You're an awesome playlist. I LOVE YOU. YOU INSPIRE ME.**

**So, review and then tell your friends to review and yeah.**

**(sorry it's a bit long, i just really love Thalia and wanted to get her on ASAP)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**Edit: sorry, I edited it because I did some _stupid _mistakes.**

Jace

So, rather than chilling with some friends on a Saturday night, I was following a 15 year old huntress into the woods to camp out with her and a bunch of babes that swore off guys forever.

_Forever_.

Besides all that, chilling with my friends would have meant Alec, and when I say chilling I _really_ mean hunting down a few demons. But, you know, it was better than this. And at least then you could eat the best doughnuts in New York from the 24 hour place. Just the thought of them made my mouth water.

"Do you think we should trust her?" Clary whispered to me. I straightened up my pack on my back.

"Yeah," I replied in a low voice. "I mean, we could always fight our way out. A bunch of teenage girls against me? No contest." She smiled but still seemed unsure. I knew I was probably underestimating them, in numbers and in skill, but I couldn't help it. All that I could imagine for the camp was a girl guides site I'd seen once, with the crisp uniforms and the hair split into two ponytails. The girls who weren't allowed to cook their food.

Then again, if this Thalia girl was anything to go by, the image of the eight year old girls was seriously out of their league.

We rounded a corner and I spied a light filtering through the trees. Clary squeezed her hand into mine. I ran my thumb over the back of her palm. Harry and Ginny didn't seem to be much more confident. We got about two seconds of this girls story before she was whisked up to the front with Percy and Annabeth, who were still laughing and shouting. I scowled as we turned another corner, the light brightened considerably and I could hear voices but couldn't make out the words.

We walked for another five minutes before we arrived at the edge of the huntress camp. There was a huge campfire in the middle, the size of a small bonfire. Around the edge of it sat girls of all shapes and sizes. There were girls about my age, weaving through the masses with grieves on their arms and quivers on their backs and girls about 12 who were sharpening knives and mending arrow tips. The arrows had silver tips and silver feathers. But all around us I could tell how little these girls were to be unserestimated. They were strong and lean, their camoflauge was grass stained and ripped and more often than not they had a bandage wrapped around one limb or another. Around the sides were tents, tall enough for me to stand comfortably and wide enough to fit five beds. Directly opposite us was a tent larger than all the others. I doubted I'd be able to touch the roof. A young girl walked out. She had auburn hair and wore a dress that came just above her knees. She must have been about twelve.

She spotted us and began to walk towards us. Clary caught her breath and tightened her hand around mine. She was the most beautiful twelve year old I had ever seen. Percy and Annabeth bowed and Thalia stood to attention.

"Well done, my lieutenant," her voice was warm and cold at the same time. She turned to Percy and Annabeth and motioned for them to rise. "Perseus, Annabeth, it's been too long."

"Yep," was all Percy gave to the conversation. Her eyes met mine and I saw her intrigue and her anger.

"Jonathon Herondale," her lips perked up into a smile. "If that is your name these days. I welcome you to the hunt."

"Thanks for having me ma'm," I managed to say. Artemis turned her gaze to Clary and then Harry and Ginny.

Once she was done she stepped back.

"If I may," Ginny said curiously. I sent her a 'stop here or _die_' glance but she didn't see it. "Why are you twelve?"

"I represent the average age for my hunters. But, if you like," I watched with wonder as she flickered from a young maiden to a low-twenties woman with fiery red hair and a body so strong and lean I knew that even if she wasn't a goddess she'd have no trouble beating all of us, at once.

"However, I prefer this form," she drifted back down to her twelve year old self and it was like watching one of those rapid aging parts in movies except backwards. It made me feel sick.

She began to walk into the camp and motioned for us to follow her and Thalia stepped next to her.

I caught the eye of a particularly pretty hunter and winked, giving her all the Jace-charm I could muster. She glowered at me and hissed.

"Clary," I whispered. "I think that girl just hissed at me."

"Jace," was all she said in that condescending tone that says just about whatever you want it to.

We walked past another good looking girl that looked like she could out run Usane Bolt.

"Hey," I smiled at her. "I'm loving this place. Mind if I get a tour?" I looked up at her putting as much feeling as I could behind my eyes. "I'd really appreciate it."

She looked disgusted and turned away, picking up the knife she'd been sharpening and, with an afterthought, dropped the stone she'd sharpened it on onto my foot. I swore and jumped up, using every inch of self-preservation I had not to clutch it and hop around like an idiot.

"Clary!" I hissed as we filed into the main tent. "I think these girls are impenetrable to my charm!"

"No!" she said mockingly, hitting me in the side. "How on earth are you going to cope?"

"Seriously?" I asked. "I have no idea."

Ginny

Jace and Clary were talking in low voices when we pulled to a stop inside the tent. I looked around and saw the heads of endangered and extinct animals lining the walls, along with the zebra carpet we were walking on, it felt like I was seeing something totally illegal. I saw movement to the side of the room and out walked a regal stag with golden antlers and a familiar gate. I heard Harry gasp next to me. It looked exactly like his patronus. My God I was _tired._

"Yes, Mr Potter," Artemis smiled at him, sitting down on a throne at the back of the tent and turning back into the woman from before. "You and your father were the only men I ever blessed. The only men I ever allowed the stag to be given to."

"What about," Harry faltered. "What about Severus Snape?" She made a face and stroked her deer.

"The doe was given to him by Aphrodite, that love sick moron. She thought it would have been, and this is entirely her own word, 'interesting' to force a love triangle between your father, your mother and your potions master. As you can imagine we have not spoken since." I fidgeted. Harry was looking at her with a new interest. He seemed to look at her like a long lost son looks at his mother. She smiled at him once more before turning towards the entire group. Despite the sudden excitement, I still felt like my eyes were about to ooze shut, one way or another.

"My brother, the god of Oracles, sent me a message alerting me of your arrival. He explained the delicacy of your quest and the imperative need for your success. Naturally I obliged with the warning and now, as you stand in front of me, I grant you one night of rest. You will not have to worry or fight or plan. And, when you leave tomorrow, after much pleading on her case, my lieutenant, Thalia Grace, will accompany you until death or my orders take her from you."

We stood around in silence. Artemis' offer was big. We needed this, if only to eat something that wasn't deep fried or experience a little human interaction that wasn't forced. And Thalia… well, I wasn't about to start an argument with her. She looked like she could strangle a mountain bear and then use its hide as a blanket. There was no question that she'd be useful.

"We're more than grateful, my lady," Percy said. "Tell Apollo thanks." She smiled, her form drifting back to the twelve year olds.

"You are most welcome, Mr Jackson." She stood up and walked toward the door, the stag following her. My eyes followed her and I noticed a chariot in the corner covered in depictions of the moon and stars and other things you associate the night with.

The flap was pulled back and then released and we all stood awkwardly inside Artemis' tent.

"She was _hot_," Jace said, grinning. Everyone just turned and looked at him.

"For a twelve year old."

"_Creepy!_" I sang.

"Jace, you _weird me out_!" Clary huffed. "Can you be normal for five minutes?"

"NAY!"

"Jace! You'll scare them away!"

"Already ran that road," Percy muttered.

Annabeth sighed and ran her hand over her eyes. It was then I realized how crippling my exhaustion had become. I grabbed Harry and he put his arm around me. I put my head on his shoulder and smiled. I could never become a hunter. Boys were awesome.

"Come on," Harry said. "Let's get some sleep."

There was a murmur of agreement but I barely heard it. I swayed, my knees forgot that they were important in saving me from falling. Harry, laughing, picked me up, bridal style and carried me through the camp, talking softly to Percy, whose laughter inspired the dream I was given, a dream that I wouldn't remember in the morning apart from the secure feeling you only achieve after finally coming home.

**So, you like it? Sorry if Jace was a little OOC, but, well, you know. I can kind of see him act like that. Especially when he wants to embarrass himself.**

**Oh, and the 'Nay' was actually inspired by true events. As in I actually say that. ME and my friends say that. My god we are _weird_.**

**Anyways, see you soonish, it's holidays so I'll be able to update pretty often. :-)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

* * *

Percy

Dinner wasn't exactly a joyous affair. We all sat in a circle while we were handed large balls of stew and roast potato. The meat was tender and the potatoes were cooked all the way through.

"So," I said. "Nice place they have here."

"Yeah," Annabeth mumbled, her mouth full.

"It'd be nicer if they had a waterfall," Jace critiqued.

"Jace, how would that ever be realistic?" Clary demanded, spraying food everywhere.

"Because then they could wash in it."

"They have showers!"

"Yeah, but a waterfall would be more fun."

"How would that work?" I asked despite myself. "It's be freezing."

"Ah," he raised his finger. "But you are forgetting one thing."

"And what would that be?" Ginny asked, snarky and tired.

"Is it that the hot twelve year old is a goddess? Because we haven't forgotten." Harry offered with the straightest face I had ever seen. He shoveled some more food into his mouth.

"You guys are gonna give me hell about that, aren't you?" We all nodded seriously.

"What are you going to give him hell about?" Thalia asked, coming to sit down next to Annabeth.

"That he's totally crushing on Artemis," Annabeth responded, finally swallowing her mammoth mouthful of food.

Thalia grinned wickedly. "Prepare to get turned into a stag, bi-atch."

"Or a Jackalope," I supplied.

"Artemis likes Jackalope's," Annabeth commented.

Jace visibly paled but Clary laughed. "Don't worry, they're just messing with you." She looked at our sincere faces and frowned. "You _are _kidding, right?"

I cast a critical eye over Jace's features. "What do you think about a dolphin?" I asked him. Thalia caught on quickly.

"We'd love you to meet our camp director."

"Or a ferret," Harry supplied. "But I don't think transfiguration is really a suitable punishment. Do you agree, Miss Weasly?"

"Oh, definitely Mr Potter," she said, grinning and nodding. "Perhaps we should try a few of Snape's classroom activities on him. I'm not sure how he'd cope with creating a cure for a poison. Maybe Snape was right in trying it out on his students. Encouragement, you know?"

I laughed at Jace's stupid expression for ages after that.

The tent Artemis had given the guys was small and dingy. It had holes in the roof and mould in the corners where rain would have run down.

"Yep," I said, looking around and nodding. "We got the dud."

Harry sighed and stretched out in his bed. He jumped up quickly and turned around. I raised my eyebrow at him. He stripped back his covers and revealed a pile of thorns and branches, cleverly concealed.

"It's nice to think they went to the trouble!" Jace called, pulling back his bed and finding a pool of honey. "Uggh, it's lucky I'm relatively unhairy or this would have been _pain-ful_."

Tentatively I pulled back my covers and sighed with relief. There was nothing excepting the expected sheets and mattress.

"Thank whatever god rules the mind of crazed women," I said. "I owe them." Jace looked at it suspiciously.

"I doubt that's all there is too it."

"Go to sleep!" Harry, having removed all the debris from his bed was lying with his glasses perched up on his pack and his hand over his eyes.

"Why?" I asked nervously, ignoring Harry.

"Because they're evil!"

"Stop overreacting," I said only a little confidently.

"Percy's right, evil's a strong word," Harry commented from where he was lying on the other side of the room.

"Stop double teaming me!"

"Go to sleep!" this time it was me who ordered it, having kicked off my shoes and decided against Jace's suspicions to climb in the seemingly normal bed.

"Not while there's honey on my sheets!"

"Well, why don't you go and ask a hunter to change it? You might catch a glimpse of Artemis! Isn't that exciting Jace?"

"Percy," he said. "Shut up." Harry's steady sleep-breathing worked its way into our conversation and I turned over, presenting my back to Jace.

"Jace," I said. "Just suck it up ok!

"No one should sleep in this!"

"Well, welcome to the 'we do things that other people cannot because we can' club!"

He was silent for a few minutes. "Whatever," was the last phrase I heard before I fell asleep.

Clary

The boys were still inside their tents when Annabeth, Ginny and I walked out into the campfire area. I collapsed onto a tree stump stool and groaned, throwing my face into my hands.

"You want to know what I think?" I asked when I heard Annabeth and Ginny relax themselves onto the ground next to me. "I think being a hero is _not _what it's cracked up to be."

"I second that," Annabeth groaned. I looked up and saw her massaging her neck. "I _heartily _second that."

"I, uh, third? That," Ginny said, lying back, brushing her red hair out of her face. "Seriously though, that felt like the best sleep I've had in months."

"Yeah, like any shower I have in the next few hours will feel like the best shower I ever had," I said thoughtfully.

"At least we learn to appreciate things when we're off saving the world," Jace's voice commented from behind me. I spun around and caught him grinning at my hair. "For future reference, I don't think the 'I just woke up' look really works for you."

"I didn't realize that the world revolved around your preferences in life," I snarled.

Jace frowned. "Are you angry at me, Fray?"

I glowered at him. "So now you're summarizing up my feelings? I wish I could find this an odd occurrence but I can't." Ok, so maybe I _was _angry, but seriously! He was crushing on a 12 year old! So what did that make me? Annabeth whispered something to Ginny and they both stood up, giving tight smiles to my venomous glare.

"Bye Clary," Annabeth said, forcefully brightly. "See ya, Jace."

"Yeah bye," Ginny said hurriedly, dragging Annabeth after her. Jace frowned after them.

"Are you going to see the others?" he asked, looking worried.

"Why?" Annabeth asked, managing to steer Ginny into a brake. A girl passed Jace and glared at his back for as long as she was in his sight. I grimaced. This really couldn't get much more uncomfortable if we tried.

"Uh, well as of a few minutes ago, they're still asleep," he told them.

"Really?" Ginny asked mischievously. Annabeth grinned and they stole off together, their giggling the only sound that I could hear of them.

"Right," I said, turning on Jace. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Jace looked confused. "Uh, my backs a bit sore if that's what…" He trailed off when he caught my expression.

"You know what I mean," I said coldly.

"Is this the whole Hunters thing? Because I wasn't trying," he said frantically.

"Weren't trying to what? Spare my feelings? Because you managed to accomplish that pretty well," I said venomously.

"Cla—," he faltered and ran his hand through his har.

"What am I supposed to think?" I hissed, standing up, glaring at him. "That you going after impossible to get girls was somehow a compliment on my part? That it's supposed to make me feel better about us?"

"No! It didn't _mean _anything—"

"Nothing means _anything _to you!" I yelled, catching the attention of some of the Hunters who turned their heads at exactly the same time. "Did you take me into account at all? Did you think to consult me before you announced your undying love for some _maiden _goddess?"

Jace frowned. "_Undying _is a bit of a stretch."

"No Jace! No! We are _not _going to make this about you!"

Jace looked taken aback. "This isn't about _me_—."

"Oh isn't it?" I interrupted loudly. "Because I thought _everything _was about you!" I stood there and glared at him for about a minute, while he just stood there, trying to put together a decent argument I wouldn't be able to counteract.

I sighed heavily and turned on my heel, stomping back to my tent.

"Clary, wait," Jace grabbed my arm. "I'm not letting this end like this. Please? We need to sort this out."

Without turning around I shook his arm off, stomping off into my tent and collapsing onto my bed. I swallowed heavily as I noted, faster than light, the darkness of the tent and the privacy it gave me. I blinked furiously at the ceiling, trying as hard as I could not to cry.

"I won't cry for him," I vowed softly to myself. "Not now. Not ever." I closed my eyes and thought. Thought of all the things I'd forgiven him for. Maybe the Hunters were right. Maybe life without boys and love was better. You'd never get hurt, you'd never be left. Your friends would become your sisters and Artemis would become your mother. Not for the first time since entering the camp, I entertained the possibility of becoming a hunter.

Suddenly the tent door flew open and I sat up, jerking my neck into position. I was actually surprised when I was Jace walk in. He had to duck when he passed through the doorway. I just watched him from my bed warily. Waiting for whatever explanation he could give.

"Clary, I don't know what I can say," he said, standing awkwardly in front of me, hands wringing in front of his chest. I looked at him as expressionless as I could, hoping he wouldn't notice the reforming tear sparkling in my eye. "You were right. You always are."

I offered no response.

"I just want to talk, just, talk," he said heavily. He waited for a reply I wasn't planning on giving. "Clary? Please?"

I opened my mouth slowly, trying to find a phrase that would encapture _exactly _what I wanted to get across, but found that nothing would.

"You want to talk, Jace?" I asked carefully. "Well I'm prepared to listen."

* * *

**So, a little bit of angst forming between Clary and Jace. I wasn't sure how I was going to sell the whole 'Jace is hitting on maidens' without Clary getting a little angry about it. She is described as having anger issues after all. Not that I thought that her actions were in any way unjustified. Ah, Clary and Jace's relationship.**

**Anyway, your thoughts? Do you think Clary should join the Hunters? Do you think Jace should beg or demand forgiveness?**

**SO MUCH DRAMA**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**OMG OMG I GOT THE MARK OF ATHENA BUT INWARDLY PROMISED TO WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER BEFORE I READ IT SO IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE SHORT BUT WHATEVER.**

**I'm just going to do a short Jace because I'm going to wrap up Clary and Jace's argument but I need to get to the bulk of the story. DO NOT READ THE NEXT SENTENCE IF YOU ARE NOT A DESPERATLEY WORRIED CLACE FAN, I'm going to leave things frail but more or less where we left it, ok?**

**Great, here comes the story!**

* * *

Jace

I stood there for a second, wetting my lips and trying to not look her full in the face. The venom and hatred that pored straight from her soul was staggering. It took all my willpower not to take a few steps back.

"I'm sorry," I said hesitantly. I knew I needed this to work. I couldn't lose her. Not now, not ever. And now, with all the successful hunters around her, promising an awesome time of maidenhood if she'd just leave the guy who was constantly a jerk to her, the stakes seemed even higher.

"You should be," Clary said, not snappily, more factually. Like if I wasn't, I couldn't be human.

"I am."

Clary breathed in deeply, blocking some kind of retort. "Why?" It was a simple, vowel-less, one syllabled word that got me. One of the first words we're ever taught. The word that pushed Scientists and Pioneers further and further each time. That simple question. Why?

"Because I was selfish," I said. "Because your feelings were never taken into account and they should have been." I took a step closer, trying to break through the guards she'd set around her. I'd lost Max and my parents and watched as the person I thought was my father's blood stained my shoes. I wasn't going to let her go. She was one of the good things that had happened to me in my lifetime. I would hold on to her forever and a bit. "Because you're more than a teenagers girlfriend. Because of that time you stuck by me, when Sebastian had taken me over. Because you need to be always put first and foremost and I forgot that, _again_. Because I love you, and I thought that hope was lost, and I was wrong. Because I realize how deep this goes. I know that the entire thing was insensitive."

There was silence when I finished. I had thousands of more things to say. But one more and she'd think I was insincere. But too little and she'd think I barely cared. I watched her face, openly earnest. She hadn't changed the entire time. It was as if, while I'd spoken, she'd turned to stone.

But then something wonderful happened. She gave a smile. A tiny one. But it was enough. "That didn't sound like you," she said. "It sounded like someone who was actually deep."

I smiled, small enough for me to deny its existence later if it was unwelcome. "Still surprising you, Fray?"

Her smile grew. "You never cease to surprise me. It's just nice for it to be positive for once."

I dropped back to the un-Jace-like me. "Are we ok?"

She dropped back to her guarded façade. "For now, Jace." Her voice was quiet. "Maybe forever."

"Prepare to be astounded, Nephilim," I said to her tenderly. "More then usual."

Annabeth

"Surprise!" Ginny and I yelled at the same time. I tipped Percy off the bed, where he fell in a muddled heap.

He yelled something random, probably referring to a dream he had the night before. He jumped up and landed on his mattress, looking around nervously and then frowning when he heard mine and Ginny's laughter.

"Not funny, owl head," he said, fighting back a smile when he saw Harry in pretty much the same pose as him, only this time Harry had pulled out his wand and conjured a raincloud to rest over Ginny. She was laughing her head off and he was apologizing and trying to reverse it.

"Suck it, Seaweed brain," I grinned, hitting him with a pillow. I cast my eye around the tent. It was mouldy and rank.

"Seriously glad I'm not a guy in an all-girls camp," I said, sniggering when I saw the open covers on another bed revealing a pool of honey. "I would be super paranoid."

"Why?" Harry asked Ginny. "I was sleeping!"

Ginny grinned up at him. "I was bored."

"Is this your excuse as well?" Percy demanded.

"Hardly," I shrugged. Then I grinned wickedly at him. "I just wanted to see your reaction."

He narrowed his eyes and picked up a pillow from a bed near his. "You're so dead, Annabeth Chase."

I wiggled my eyebrows at him. "Not if I kill you first. As a matter of fact, I'd like to see you try." He seemed to take this as a personal invitation because he jumped at me, bringing the pillow around to where my back was. I shrieked when I made contact but hit him back, cursing and giggling as it thumped his chest.

"Pillow fight!" Ginny yelled, jumping at Harry.

We jumped around furiously, grinning and laughing and tripping over the mess we created in the room.

A small cough caught our attention and we saw Thalia standing there, hands on her hips and a grin covering most of her face already prepped for travel.

"Nice to see you're treating our stuff with all you're respect."

"Nice to see you've gotten over your boy-phobia," Percy retorted, pointing to the honey that was kind of spread around now, I could feel that weird, icky feeling you only get when you touch something as think and sticky as honey.

Thalia just grinned.

"We have to leave, like, _now_," she announced, picking her way through the mess to stand next to us. "And lady Artemis refuses to move on before the entire area is clean. And," she raised her eyebrows as if she'd suspected what we were all thinking. "She told me that she threatens to zap you back if you're sleeping arrangements aren't perfectly neat and tidy."

Percy groaned loudly, falling back onto his bed and making just about as much noise as he could to highlight the unfairness.

"Come on," I sighed. "We need to tidy this up."

"We're _helping_?" Ginny asked, dumbfounded.

I nodded dejectedly, I moved to the honey bed and began to remove the sheet just as Percy and Harry began to move to there jobs, stretching and grinning, the euphoria from the morning still present on their faces.

When I got close to her I muttered a sentence. "Leverage, my dear Ginny. Leverage."

She grinned for the rest of the clean-up.

* * *

We stood outside, lined up, next to our fellow whatevers as Artemis gave us her farewells. She smiled at me as we left. Her eye was twinkling in the sun. I smiled back. She was still one of my favorite gods, even more now for all she did for us.

We followed Thalia through the forest. For the most part we were quiet, except for the hushed conversation between Harry and Ginny and sometimes me and Percy. Jace and Clary were silent. I knew what had happened. I could tell.

The forest was full. Roots crisscrossed underfoot, the feet of gigantic trees. Ones that spread high above our heads. Light trickled though, it felt almost eerie in the forest, as if the sun had turned lighter. More moon-like. The floor was littered with leaves and twigs, some snagged in the shrubs that hugged close to the trees. Darkness seeking plants, like moss or mushrooms.

When the sun hit the middle of the sky we sat at the bottom of one of the biggest trees in the forest. Thalia handed out cheese and avocado rolls. I accepted mine gratefully. The clean up had taken longer than expected and we didn't have time to get breakfast. I kneeled and sat on my heels next to Percy, who was already halfway through his.

"You're going to be sick," I told him.

"I'm hungry!" His words were muffled from all the food stuck in there.

"She's right," Thalia said. "And I'm not slowing down to let you keep up with us."

Percy narrowed his eyes at her. "Why _are _you leading?" his voice was clear now.

"Because I'm the tracker."

"But you're not tracking anything."

"But I'm still more accomplished than you."

"We don't know where we're going!"

"I do," Thalia looked surprised. "Don't you?"

"No," I said slowly, my heart beating faster. What did Thalia know?

"Artemis said you had to go south," Thalia was frowning. "She said something like that, didn't she?"

"South?" I muttered to myself. "Why south?"

"To reach Mexico?" Jace asked. I shook my head.

"That'd take weeks to reach."

"You did suggest south, Annabeth," Ginny said suddenly. "Maybe you were right."

"Maybe," I frowned at my food and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. I was the one who worked things out, now I needed to use my inherited ability as well as I could.

**Thnx, gotta go, bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**Also, don't hate me if I get the geography wrong. I have no idea how America's landscape works. Just pretend, alright? Ok. Awesome. **

**Ok, super quick MoA review (because I can)**

**IT WAS AWESOME. The fight scenes were vivid and constant, the percabeth moments were some of the cutest things known to this earth, Leo (OMG! I 3 LEO!) was a great narrator as was Percy, Piper and Annabeth.**

**Annabeth's quest was clever and well thought out. It's great how Riordan manages to keep her an awesome character, despite the fact that we've known her for so long.**

**BUT THE ENDING! WTF? RICK RIORDAN IF YOU KEEP US IN THE DARK FOR HoH I WILL PERSONALLY KICK YOUR LAZY ASS DOWN TO TARTARUS.**

**Anyway, enough of that! Let's all be civilized and read another fanfiction chapter, shall we?**

**p.s I will now also refer to MoA a little bit but not much, I promise**

* * *

Harry

After the whole 'um, but seriously now, where _are _we going?' sequence at the bottom of one of the biggest trees I'd ever seen (don't worry, it had nothing on some of the ones in the forbidden forest but… yeah, huge), the morale of the group dropped.

Now that we knew there were gods to blame, we blamed them. Fiercely.

"Seriously, if _someone _doesn't tell us what to do, I'm going to scream," Ginny muttered as we followed Thalia around another bend of tightly pressed together trees.

"We should go somewhere helpful," I said.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Nice one, captain obvious. Love it. 'Somewhere helpful'. Honestly, sometimes you're worse than Ron."

I smirked. "I'm going to tell him you said that."

Ginny grinned. "And I'll deny it with all my heart."

I contemplated for a second. "Fair enough," I conceded.

The sun had begun to set by the time the scenery began to change. Instead of huge trees we were greeted with small creeks and mossy, shorter trees. The earth looked damp, permanently so. With the conditions, bugs hovered around our heads, landing and then biting, before shipping whatever life-demanding nutrient they'd stolen away.

"Are we there yet?" Percy moaned.

"No," Thalia said shortly.

"Please?"

"Don't make me electrocute you, kelp head."

Percy glared at her back. "Don't make me take you into your _fathers _territory, Pinecone face." Thalia just stiffened her shoulders but said nothing.

I liked Thalia. She was certainly an independent person, more than that, she seemed out of place. She was a change from the stereotype. Instead of being awful and grouchy like the way most people with hairstyles like that were perceived, she was genuinely kind and though it was hard for her to show it, cared for Annabeth, even Percy, a lot. Instead of riding off into the sunset with her chiseled boyfriend, she'd joined the hunters. She'd done everything differently.

We set up camp above a bank to a faster, wider creek than all the others. I sighed and dropped my pack to the floor, wincing when I thought I heard something break. Ginny put hers down next to mine with considerably more care. Percy had run off to the creek and was talking to a pretty girl dressed in a ancient Greek styled dress and seemed to be slightly coloured blue.

"Who's that?" I asked Annabeth, who was rolling out her sleeping bag.

She wrinkled her nose. "Ok, just some Naiad. A water nymph," she added the last part when I looked at her with confusion. "He'll try to get her to help us."

Percy walked back with a triumphant smile crowning his face. "Good news everybody!"

"Here it goes," Jace muttered.

"The Naiad says that she'll announce if a monsters comes near us!"

"How's she supposed to do that?" I asked skeptically.

Percy shrugged. "She has friends."

Ginny frowned. "That's not very—'

"Ginny, don't think too hard about it," Annabeth said dryly. "Just accept it and move on."

"But seriously," Clary interjected. "_Are _we safe?"

Percy raised his eyebrows at her as if to ask whether she believed him or not. He looked a little miffed.

"Yeah," Annabeth conceded. "For now."

That was good enough for the larger part of us and we collapsed to the ground.

Thalia interrupted our little talk by throwing down some fire wood and flat out refusing to help if we didn't help her set up our camp before night fall. We all rushed off into the woods except for Percy, who she told to clean and store some water and Ginny, who she asked to clear the area for the fire and begin to set up the tents.

We all came back together just as the stars had begun to spread across the sky. I shivered and held my hands out to the fire. It crackled and spat, and it was far more alive than it should have been, but it was the only source of comfort.

Ginny had leaned back onto my shoulder and was almost silently humming a song. From what I could tell it was by the band she liked, the Parachutes. Clary was sitting next to Jace on a tree that we'd found right near where we were camping and Annabeth was sitting on the ground next to Percy. Thalia was in between Clary and Annabeth. She was watching the fire carefully, but I could tell her mind was elsewhere.

Percy

"We have to decide to do something," Ginny said. "We can't just keep 'heading south'. It doesn't work like that."

"You're right," Annabeth agreed. "But what else can we do?"

"We could pop over to Camp Half-Blood," I suggested. "We could ask Chiron."

Annabeth shook her head. "From what I could tell, Chiron didn't know anything."

"We could, um, ask Rachel," I wasn't overly excited about this. I didn't want another life changing prophecy.

"Who's Rachel?" Jace asked.

"The Oracle," I explained. "She tells us our prophecy's."

Harry looked over sharply. "Prophecy's?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said slowly. I watched him carefully. Both him and Ginny seemed agitated. I didn't want to press, I knew how it felt to come to hate the word.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked. Thalia tilted her head up, as if just noticing we were talking for the first time.

Harry looked defiantly into the flames. I thought he wasn't going to answer but he did. "I was in a prophecy once." His voice was expressionless. "It was a big one. To put it lightly. I," he faltered. "I di-died."

"You died?" Thalia asked, incredulous. "Hades would _never _allow someone back to life."

"I didn't die, exactly," Harry said carefully. "Voldermort, he killed the piece of his soul inside me."

"What?" I asked, seriously confused. Harry sighed but complied his entire story. It was pretty full on. I suddenly developed a sort of respect for the guy. He had no parents, at least I had my mom and my step-dad.

"Wow," Clary said quietly. "And I thought I had problems."

"No you didn't," Jace wrinkled up his nose. "That never happened."

"Did!"

"When?" Jace challenged. And so then Clary related her entire story to us.

By now the moon had well and truly risen. The fire had died down to embers and coals. The coldness of the air had started to penetrate our little heat bubble.

"Our turn," Thalia grinned at me.

"Our turn for what?" I asked suspiciously.

"Our story, seaweed brain," Annabeth said quietly. "Duh."

By the time we'd finished it was nearly one in the morning. What with Annabeth and Thalia's constant interruptions and inputs, we were lucky we finished at all. When we were done the group had turned silent. The wind turned prickly and the chattering from the stream seemed to turn louder.

"You thought your mum had died?" Ginny asked softly.

"Yes," I tried not to think too hard about it. "I said that."

"You went to hell?" Jace asked, astounded.

"Yes," now it was Annabeth's turn to get annoyed.

"You lost your memory?" Clary said. I remembered how her mother had taken away hers.

Now it was Thalia's turn to get angry. "Yes. Yes he did. And it was sad. And then I met Jason. And everything was still sad but a little more happy."

"Dumb Hera," Annabeth muttered.

I sighed. "I hear you."

The group was silent for a second.

"So back to the earlier topic," Clary said haltingly. "Are we going to go to your Camp—'

"Half-Blood," I supplied.

"Thanks. So, uh, is that where we're going to go? To hear our fortunes?"

"Well we're sure as hell not going to Octavian," I crossed my arms. "That guy ripped up my Pillow Pet."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Percy, you have to get over that."

"I was attached!"

"To a Pillow Pet?" Jace asked. Everyone had agreed that Octavian needed to either get a life or stop ruining the ones of countless small children.

"Fine!" I threw my hands up in the air. "Whatever! Tell me off for attempting to connect with something when I could remember nothing! Excellent! Right then, I'm off to bed!"

I ignored the sniggers and climbed into bed, kicking off my shoes and shrugging off my jacket. I relaxed my head, and then my back and then my feet. A ritual that never failed to relax me. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard everyone else get ready for bed. Someone tipped a bucket of water over the fire and the acrid smell was the last thing I recognized before I slipped off.

**Ok, that was it! So off to Camp Half-Blood! Will the Shadow Hunters and the Wizards make it through the magical boundaries? Will the campers embrace them or shun them? Will Rahchel's prophecy bring more harm then it's worth?**

**ALL THESE QUESTIONS AND MORE MIGHT BE ANSWERED IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**Ha ha! I'm funny. But seriously, see you guys. Come back again! Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**Uggghhh, don't talk to me for like 5 weeks. I hate school. But at least, on the bright side, this term in English we're focusing on creative pieces and I can wow my teacher with some crazy big words (she'd fun like that). And we can where our summer uniform! Now that ****_is _****something to celebrate! :)**

**Here's the next chapter, I love you all! Xx**

* * *

Ginny

The morning was frosty and cold, I shivered as a breath of water hit my skin and condensed, traveling down my neck before getting caught in my collar. I threw a scarf around my neck and slipped fingerless gloves onto my hand. From what I had managed to understand from the night before, we were jumping over to a cheery, demigod training camp, where they have fake-wars-that-don't-seem-very-fake and a dragon named Peleus and a centaur who sired one of the greatest villains of all times and a climbing wall with lava that they climb _for fun_. Oh, whatever. Seems legit.

"Ok, so because you guys are annoying in your inability to go places you haven't seen," Percy announced, striding in front of us like an army general. I glared at him. It was too early in the morning and I'd gone to sleep too late for jokes. "We're going to have to incorporate a little help into our highly strategic and thought out plan." I desperately wanted top ask what stratergy was involved in common sense but decided not to ask. I'd probably answered my own question.

"Nico said he's coming, but he has to get Mrs. O'leary first, and that could take ages," Thalia said, having made an Iris message.

"Excellent," Annabeth said dryly. "That'll only take a couple of hours, assuming she hasn't eaten the Hypnos cabin again and come down with indigestion."

"Ok, that only happened _once_," Percy said defensively. "And she thought it smelt nice."

"Your dog ate a building?" I asked, perplexed.

"Oh yeah, we should totally tell—'

"Nope! No way! Not ever!" Jace said, looking kind of insane underneath his thick beanie.

"What's with this _weather_?" Thalia blurted crossly, cutting off whatever mad rabble from an over-perc-jacksoned shadow hunter. "It is supposed to be _summer_! It was warmer in _Switzerland_!"

"It's probably got something to do with everything," Clary said dryly, sporting a pair of ridiculously comfortable looking ear muffs and a scarf that had names of Manga I'd never heard of. "Just add it to our list of things we don't know."

"Can't," Harry said bitterly. "Ran out of parchment."

"Well—" Annabeth started but she was interrupted by the appearance of a huge, black Rottweiler seemingly _growing _out of the shadows in the trees. She was shortly followed by a shortish guy with black hair and pale skin. He had a black sword to his side, a totally weather inappropriate aviators jacket and a silver skull ring that glittered dangerously on his finger.

"Greetings lady's and gentlemen," The boy said, out of breath just as the dog barked. It was so loud I had to block my ears. Percy ran up and punched her in the side. I had a feeling that if that was a person, they'd be dealing with a broken rib. "Your shadow traveler awaits."

"Hey, Skull Boy," Thalia said, grinning cockily. "Good to see you."

"Wish I could say the same, Grace," Nico retorted. Thalia just chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Hello Nico," Annabeth said. "This is—"

"Ginny Weasly," I started when I heard my name come from someone I was so newly acquainted with. "Harry Potter, Jace Herondale, Clarissa Morgenstern." The others reacted similarly. He scowled when he saw our expressions.

"What? I speak with the dead a lot, ok?" He seemed oddly defensive, but from Annabeth, Percy and Thalia, I could see that it was no way an odd occurrence.

"Well, I for one am glad to make your acquaintance," Jace said, smiling and shaking the boys hand. "We've heard all of about three things about you."

To my surprise, Nico smiled. "I always have preferred an air of mystery."

"Well, from one man of mystery to another," Harry said. "Hey." Nico seemed to have passed his initial anger and faded to the more welcoming side of Hades.

He sighed. "Alright we better get this over and done with. I'm probably going to need to sleep for a year after this. If only Hazel could shadow travel, eh?" Percy agreed and jumped on Mrs O'leary's back, helping Annabeth and Thalia up behind him.

"I'll get on the dog," I announced bravely. Harry raised his eyebrows but didn't object, which he was supposed to.

I glared at him. "Now you're supposed to save me from almost certain death from a Hell Hound by bravely taking my place."

He raised his eyebrows and grinned condescendingly. "I hardly think I'm in the mad desire to willingly go into another NDE, but if you insist…"

"No!" I threw my hands up in frustration and walked over to the hound where Annabeth helped me up. "It's fine! Whatever Harry!"

"Ok, let's go before she brings up—"

"I'm a woman! I am _far _too frail for this kind of thing!" I'm pretty sure you could taste the sarcasm in my words. Just as we began to disappear, Harry shouted something.

"Ginny, you are not helping your case!" Clary and Jace's laughter was one of the last things I heard before we disappeared.

Jace

The dog melt into some shadows and Nico held out his hand.

"Hold it," he said impatiently. Seriously, for a guy that couldn't have been older than 14, he sure seemed sure of himself. I took his hand and Clary took his other. Harry grasped the arm Clary's hand was on and we disappeared, sinking into a black oblivion, melting through nothing, hoping to reach the other side.

We arrived on the other side on a sunny summer day, the way things should have been. It was still early, but I could see oddly dotted people wearing orange and then the occasional purple T-shirt weaving through some oddly place buildings. We were standing on a hill, with a gate in front of us showing a picture of an old war helmet and the words 'Camp Half-Blood' written in ancient greek lettering.

In the far fields I saw some strawberry fields, where girls and boys tended carefully to the super ripe strawberries. Even from here I could smell them, baking in the sun.

"Wow," Clary said, her mouth open. 'Wow' was a mild way of putting it. This was incredible. Not as incredible as Idris, perhaps, but the place was crawling with children or young adults. I wasn't sure what to feel about this. Either the older people had left to somewhere even cooler where they grew melons and didn't have to climb a smoking climbing wall, or something even worse had happened.

"This is only Camp Half-Blood," Nico said grinning. "You should see Camp Jupiter. New Rome is amazing."

"Where are the adults?" I asked.

Nico's face darkened. "Either dead or fighting it out in the normal world." He turned thoughtful. "Some go to New Rome to live forever though, ever since the whole 'Ah! I hate you!' thingy finished." Ah! I hate you! Was a pretty good way to sum up the story I'd heard last night. Annabeth had fixed it though, she seemed good at working things out.

"We should find the others," Harry said.

"Follow me," Nico said, walking through. "Mrs O'leary probably took them to the training pavilion. That's where she lives."

"Your monstrous hell hound lives in the training pavilion?"

"Yeah! Didn't Percy tell you like, everything, last night?"

I grumbled. "Just about."

"You spoke for ages Jace. If it wasn't for you we'd probably have had another few hours of sleep!"

"That is a lie and you know it."

"I agree with Harry," Clary said as we passed the first few demigods, some who watched us curiously and others who just shrugged us off.

Clary frowned. "Why are some Orange and some Purple?"

"Oh, well, to patch things up and 'teach each other our ways', we have a kind of exchange program going on. Some of the romans come here, some Greeks go over there."

"Seems reasonable," I said, picking up on Nico's disagreeing tone.

"Hmmph. Not all good things can last. Romans and Greeks have hated each others for centuries. I'm not sure that everything can be healed that easily."

We were all quiet for a moment. "If you don't think it would work, why do they do it?" Harry asked. I knew what he meant. Nico simply radiated power. He seemed like he could destroy the entire world if he wanted to. He looked like a dangerous enemy.

"Percy believes it can," He replied simply. "And Jason."

We arrived at a circled of cabins and Harry turned to Nico.

"What are these?" They looked weird. Some were decorated with leaves and ferns and then there was another that looked completely ordinary. I saw one black and covered in obsidian and dark fire and another blue and long, decorated with shells and coral.

"The cabins," Nico checked his watch. "You can have a tour later though. The others are probably waiting."

So we walked off, I glanced back, wondering about the emptier looking cabins, and how lonely it must get in there.

**So, we're off in CHB, the demigods have noticed the newbies, but don't know what to make of them, yet…**

**Hopefully Clarisse, Tyson, Piper, Jason, Leo and Chiron in the next chapter.**

**Review! xx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**Ok, so today we went rock climbing for outdoor ed at this place that felt like I was trapped in between these cliffs and I was all thinking 'hell yes, now I will climb to the roof and be awesome' but I only reached the top once and that was an easy one and then I fell off the wall once except my partner caught me so it was all good.**

**Who likes Trivia? I ****_love _****trivia. The other day Grandma complained about it and I was all 'can I ****_please _****go?' and she's all 'haha, maybe we should swap' and I laughed even though I was already running old lady disguises through my head.**

**Next chapter! (BTW GwF, I will do that. Clever idea. Those personalities are going to clash BIG TIME)**

* * *

Harry

We walked up to the pavilion. It was basically a stadium with a few weapons sitting on the rack in the middle. All throughout there were random dummies and fake monsters, all complete with knife marks and obvious repair work. I'd certainly hate to be a card board cut out in a place like this. We saw Percy, Annabeth, Thalia and Ginny standing in the middle, right next to the weapons. They were talking to who could only have been Chiron and then a few other people. A girl with choppy brown hair, a boy with blonde hair, another, beefier, girl with a red bandana keeping her hair back from her face and I spear held familiarly in her hand and then a guy taller than all of them, even Chiron. He was waving his hands around and even from here I could tell that the rest of them were laughing. With exception from Bandana-Girl, who had moved away to one of the dummy's.

"Chiron!" Nico called when we arrived. "I thought you were visiting Olympus!"

Chiron turned and smiled with crinkly eyes and a kindly, fatherly affection. "Ah, yes, alas, my visit was cut short. Something unforeseen came up, Zeus politely asked me to leave."

Nico scoffed, as if he didn't believe Zeus could do anything nicely.

"Uh, guys?" Percy asked, his smile still lingering from whatever story the taller boy had been telling. He looked so happy here, this was his home. His favorite place in the world. I felt a pang for Hogwarts. And then a determination. I _would _make it back. "This is Piper," he pointed to the choppy haired girl, who smiled at us. It took me half a moment to comprehend words. She was gorgeous, stunning. Percy had said she was a daughter of Aphrodite, but I'd hardly given it half a thought. "Jason," he pointed to the blond haired guy. He had weirdly blue eyes and a purple shirt on. I remembered the stories from last night and had a full down respect for the guy. Even if he had really good hair. "Tyson."

_Tyson_? I thought, glancing up. _The cyc-… Oh, yes, definitely a cyclopes. _The guy had an eye in the middle of his head and a club resting on his shoulders. He grinned down at us with crooked, peanut butter infested teeth.

"And, uh, Clarisse," At hearing her name, Clarisse spun and glared at Percy, as though he'd personally created her existence just so he could laboriously introduce her to boring people. Percy and Annabeth had described her perfectly. Right down to the scowl she set onto her face before joining our little gathering.

"What are you here for?" she snarled. She seemed weirdly angry.

Thalia sighed. "_Please _do not go all 'Defender of Camp' on us Clarisse. It doesn't look good on you."

Clarisse glared at her. "Clam it, hunter."

Thalia glared back. "Make me."

"Guys," Annabeth reminded them.

"Fine," Thalia muttered, still simmering. Clarisse turned back to her original demand.

Percy just rolled his eyes. "To be fair, the _leader _of the camp invited them so… There's nothing you can do about it."

"Clam it, Prissy," She hissed, glaring back at us. I raised my eyebrows at Ginny who rolled her eyes pointedly at Clarisse's back. She mouthed something like 'she'd nice when you get to know her' but I wasn't sure. Considering the fact she was almost nose to nose with Clary.

"Who are you, runt?" And then, Clary earned all my respect by raising an eyebrow, taking another step in and saying.

"Clarissa Morgenstern, daughter of the most hated man in the last hundred centuries, ranked 15th hated being in the entire universe, ever. Placed somewhere under Satan and Lilith." Clarisse frowned and walked away. Annabeth sighed and caught my eye. She mouthed something like 'overly-protective-mother syndrome', but that didn't make sense either. The idea of Clarisse as a mother was actually impossible to picture. It implied nurturing and tenderness. Neither of which she seemed to own.

"And you?" She asked me pointedly. She blocked out my sun and stared me right into the eyes, which was confronting considering I was probably a year or so older than her.

"Harry James Potter," I said back sarcastically, tired of the early malfoy-esqu qualities she was showing. "Supposed to be dead. Brought up by a couple of realtives that more often than not, wished I was dead. Was brought up _alongside _a very fat, very awful spoilt brat. Wizard." Clarisse pulled away and smirked.

"You got spunk, kid." Which I supposed was some kind of compliment.

Jace

The man-girl walked up to me, after wrongfully interrogating the other members of my 'Travelling with Nico Club' (I was tempted to make a facebook group with that name and then remembered my lack of wifi and/or internet connection) she'd decided that it was my go.

Whatever.

"Hello, Jerk-Bag," She said. I could tell she already hated me.

_Good_, I thought aggressively. _I don't like you either._

"What in Ares's name are you doing on _my _turf?"

"Clarisse," Thalia started, worried. But Clarisse cut her off.

"Shut it, Grace. After the things we've been through, I'm _not _going to let some good for nothing punk-ass walk around a camp full of things he shouldn't be seeing." I was seriously fuming now. I wasn't overly fond of being called a 'punk-ass'.

"Maybe it's you," I poke her in the shoulder. "Who needs to leave. Maybe I," I poked her again. "Have more right to be here than you. Maybe that's," third poke. This was becoming dangerous. It was like fiddling with a time bomb just to see what would happen. "Why you have to intimidate people." We were face to face. "Maybe you're only talk."

You could have heard a pin drop. Hell, you could hear everyone _breathing_. And not many people were using their full lung capacity.

Clarisse cocked her head. "Duel. Now. I choose."

Percy whistled under his breath as Clarisse strode over to the weapons rack. I gulped when I saw what she picked. A spear.

Not a pair of perfectly nice knives, a spear. How do you even duel with a spear?

"Jace," Clary said softly, coming to stand next to me. "That was an awful call."

"I'm going to die now," I stated.

"Probably," she admitted.

"You can have my jacket."

Clary snorted. "I was going to take it anyway."

"That's a good thing, right?"

Clary was silent for a moment. "For me. I like that jacket."

"Actually, I want to be buried in it."

"Sorry, you said I could have it. You pinky swore."

"Did I?" Clarisse was now twirling the spear in her hands, and I swore I saw a trickle of electricity race through the upper half. You can understand why I was distracted.

"No, but I won't hold it against you."

"That's really sweet of you Clary."

"I know. High Angel, I love it when you're distracted,"

"Love you too."

"C'MON PUNK-ASS!" Clarisse yelled. Her voice was frighteningly loud. "COWARD."

I gulped and Clary squeezed my hand. She seemed nervous now, shrugging off the jokes.

I walked over nervously, trying to kick my naturally automatic arrogant persona back on. I pick up a spear. I held it carefully. I'd trained with spears, of course, but I still wished that I had my seraph blades. I wish I'd insisted I choose. Then at least I might have had a little bit over her.

I walked over to where she waited. The nub of the spear was in the dirt, the top pointed upwards, shiny and sharp. This was more than a larger toothpick. This was a weapon of war.

"Ready?" She asked, smirking. I refused to be a coward.

"Are you?" I asked smoothly. I was lucky I thought of something unprecedented to say, or I wouldn't have made the first jab.

I struck out, she snapped up the shaft and caught it. She span hers and I was forced to step back. She jabbed strongly at my chest. A surge of determination hit me and I hit it out of the way. A jerk of electricity hit and, stunned, I stepped back. Clarisse used the opportunity to jab her spear again. Then, using the very first of my sense to come back online, I swatted it away, this time far more prepared for the electrical shock.

"Not. Fair," I said, slurring. "Electric? What?"

She just smirked and we exchange another few hits. "I never said _you _couldn't have one." I narrowed my eyes and stared anger and resentment right at her. I wasn't going to lose to her. Not now, not after she _tricked _me.

I bared my teeth and struck at her three times, connecting with her chest on the first go, her thigh on the second and was stopped on the third, another jolt racing up through the wood. I mentally caught it this time, taking the pain and baring it as a scar. I would refuse to allow this to be a set back. I was _Jace _for God's sake. _Jace one-upon-a-time Wayland_. I could kick the asses of demons, and I wasn't about to let someone kick the ass of me.

She struck out like a cobra, sending the spear towards me heart. I span my spear in a circle, flicking off the attack. She danced back. She rose her spear again, electricity sparkling along the edges. I steadied my hand, I did _not _want that touching me.

I attacked her, jerking back when she tried to block and then aimed for her neck, the part I'd forced her to leave unprotected. I feinted once, then twice, before with a strong flick of my wrist, I clipped the centre of hers and sent it flying.

It hit the ground about ten metres away, it's head buried in dirt, it's shaft sticking almost vertically up. I sat the tip of my spear over her throat. She was breathing heavily, and I realized that I was too. Getting electrocuted does that to people.

"Dead," I said firmly, looking into her eyes as I said it, waiting for her to deny it.

The area was deadly silent. Then the applause started. I blinked and looked around. We had attracted quite the crowd. The claps turned into thunder as I studied the crowd. I saw Harry and Ginny watching me with twin amazement, Percy and Annabeth with some new found respect, and everybody else as if I'd just climbed everest in an hour. Clary was just grinning, her eyes shining.

Clarisse pulled back and I lowered my spear. "This isn't over, Herondale," she spat. And she stormed off through the crowd.

"Oh gods," A guy close to Ginny muttered, chasing after her. "Clarisse! Wait!"

The applause bagan to stop and people began to swarm me. Twelve year olds demanding lessons and 20 year olds asking all kinds of technical queations.

"Good job!" Clary yelled over the press of people. Reaching up and kissing me. "I _knew _you could do it!"

"Jace!" Percy said loudly when he managed to get through. "Good job! She was getting a bit overconfident!"

"Will she be angry?" I asked loudly. People began to disperse.

Percy thought for a moment. "Nah. She's just Clarisse. She'll get over it."

We made our way over to where the rest of the guys were waiting. "You don't sound sure."

"Well, you can just beat her again! Can't you!" Clary said brightly, pulling my arm around her shoulders and pulling the spear out of my hands. She span it around a few times.

"You were so good, Jace. To tell you the truth, I didn't think you would win."

"Thanks," I said dryly when we arrived at the group. "Nice to see you have so much confidence in me."

Clary laughed. "Well, now I'm _double _impressed. There's always something to be said for low expectations!"

We pulled up next to the old centaur. He smiled down at me kindly. "Are you sure you're not a child of Zeus?" He asked. I supposed it was a compliment. "I've never seen someone take so many electrical hits from Clarisse."

"Uh, I hope not," I said.

"Hey!" Jason protested.

"Never mind. It's not like you'd be that good of a brother anyway," Thalia muttered.

Now it was my turn to be outraged. "Hey!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Boys, Thalia, you can out-insult each other later." She turned to Chiron. "We need to talk."

The wise Centaurs eyes turned back down to worried. "I know, my dear," He said pensively. "Come to the Big House, we'll talk there."

"Is Mr. D there?" Percy asked, outwardly casual, obviously desperate.

"No, Zeus called him for emergency War Planning at Olympus." The mirth was obvious in his eyes.

"And camp has never been better," Leo said brightly.

"Leo!" Piper scolded. "You were almost there!"

"Almost where?" Tyson asked shyly, looking at the rest of us like we might suddenly pick on him.

"We were aiming for a record," Jason explained. "A whole hour without talking."

"I _am _ADHD," Leo reminded him.

"Yes," Piper said. "You said that last time.

"And the time before that," Jason reminisced.

"And the time before that," Chiron joined in, his eyes twinkling. Everything went into an awkward silence. Chrion just laughed and walked ahead, singing a song to himself. One I'd never heard before.

**Sorry about the length. Review!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**Next chapter! Ok, so I read this book (Dreamless by Josephine Angelini, IT'S AWFUL. IT ****_BUTCHERS _****GREEK MYTHOLOGY AND DOESN'T EVEN APOLOGISE!) Anyway, one of the characters said this exact phrase 'The Big Three' and then I just yelled out loud "RICK RIORDAN THOUGHT OF THAT BITCH! I'M ONTO YOU!"**

**So yeah, just thought I'd share that with you.**

**Btw, if any of you have instagram, my hunger games, Harry Potter and Percy Jackson fan account is percyharrykatniss. Follow if you do! (Mention this and I'll follow back, I'm seriously over people who just follow for other people to get them to follow back)**

* * *

Clary

We started off towards the huge house I'd seen from before, complete with _baa_-ing satyrs and Nymphs. Chiron bid us farewell and clopped off to where a couple of campers were dueling. Tyson also said goodbye, wrapping all his friends in rib-cracking goodbyes and shyly waving at the rest of us. He staggered off through camp, greeting a red headed harpy that jumped in front of him.

"What are they for?" I asked Annabeth, pointing off towards the house.

"The Satyrs used to hang around Dionysus, now they look for demigods." I watched as one bleated extra loudly and ran over to us, his awkward satyr legs propelling him in a kind of jumping run.

"Percy!" He called. "Annabeth! Thalia!" He had red hair that curled around his horns and a grin plastered to his face.

"G-man!" Percy greeted him, going in for a one-armed man-hug. "Long time no see!"

"Sup Grover," Thalia said, grinning from ear to ear. "Acne still as bad as ever I see."

"Hey!" Annabeth said happily. "How are you?"

"Fantastic," he bleated. He looked happy, happier than most things we'd seen. "Really good. How are you?"

"Great," Annabeth and Percy said unanimously.

Thalia shrugged. "Neither here nor there."

"Excellent attempt at not being cryptic, Thalia," Jason said sarcastically. "I just love it when you're up front."

"Don't make me ask Artemis to turn you into a Jackalope."

"You won't," Jason said euphorically.

"Why?" Thalia demanded. I was getting the direct feeling that this wasn't going to end well. For anybody. In a 10 mile radius.

"Because I'm too adorable to be transfigured into something awful."

"Do you want me to bat boogey hex him, Thalia?" Ginny asked.

Thalia studied her brother for a minute. "Nah," she shrugged. "I like it better when I can hold something over him."

"Don't go flying another sun chariot," Jason teased.

"Don't make me regret telling you that," Thalia warned.

By then we'd arrived at the Big House. On the porch I saw a table set up for a game of pinochle with a guy sitting on it. He looked up.

"Ah, Annie Choose and Peter Johnston, I was wondering when you'd crawl back for help."

"Mr. D?" Leo asked, incredulous. "I thought you were on Olympus!"

"There goes my good day," Percy muttered angrily.

"Zeus was no longer in need of my assistance." He sniffed.

"Ok," Piper said slowly, looking at Jason with wide 'oh god's' eyes.

Percy muttered something and Dionysus looked up sharply. "Spontaneous combustion is still on the table, Pierre." At that point I was just about 100% sure he did the 'forgetting name thing' on purpose, just to be annoying.

"We're confused," I spoke up. "We don't know what to do."

"Ah, the joys of being mortal. Your knowledge of the future is beyond ever being in your grasp, and yet you continuously ponder the path the world has set out for you."

I frowned. "Ah, not to interrupt you or cause offence or, you know, try and get turned into a beaver—"

"I turn people into dolphins! Don't I Pedro?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Supposedly."

I frowned again and continued. "But we really need your help."

Mr. D looked grave. "What happened the last time someone asked for help?"

"You got a ship full of diet coke and enough gold to repay every single debt that ever existed!" Leo interjected angrily.

"You destroyed two giants that were going to try and kill you anyway," Jason said, frowning at him.

"You got off your lazy ass and _did _something," Percy said, just as angry and Leo. Annabeth quieted him with a look. Mr. D looked around angrily. The satyr's he'd been playing with were chewing random things nervously.

I sighed. I needed to make things better. "What happened the last time someone asked for help?" I chanted dutifully.

"A 12 year old asked me why I wore Hawaiian shirts," he responded. "I ignored her."

We were all silent, waiting to see if he would add anything onto the end.

"That was a lovely story, Mr. D," Pipers Charmspeak washed through the crowd, hitting Dionysus with all its power. "But all they want is for you to help them. It's probably really important."

"Can you tell us anything?" Jace asked desperately.

"I swore on the Styx," Dionysus shook his head. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."

"Anything?" Harry pressed,

Mr. D pursed his lips. "No."

Annabeth

"Off to Rachel now!" Percy called loudly. "Let's go!"

"You leave when I tell you to!" Mr. D hissed. We started to move off all the same.

"Sorry!" Leo called back as we walked into the house. "We don't associate ourselves with failures of Olympus!"

"Leo Valdez I _will _talk to your father about this!"

"Ok, that's fantastic!" Piper said, smiling warmly and filling everyone with that Charmspeak ease and happiness. "You tell Hephaestus how fantastic Leo's been, and we'll go and find Rachel!"

I pushed Ginny, Harry, Jace and Clary in front of me and marched through to Rachel's room. Now, I know what you're thinking, 'Rachel has a cave, doesn't she?' well I'm here, ladies and gentlemen, to tell you that when you know two stinking pranksters named Travis and Connor Stol, you're not exactly at a liability to call _anywhere _a permanent residence. Except if you happen to be super powerful, or hide a sharp knife on you wherever you go.

The Big House was just as musty as ever. I saw Mr. D's leopard head snarl at us as we walked past until Jason threw it a sausage.

We walked down another corridor. To our left was the rec room where we had all the war meetings, and to our right was a room I'd never seen before. Even if Chiron hadn't told me where to find her, the words, painted in pink across her doorway reading 'Rachel's hood' would have been enough of an explanation.

Percy knocked and we were all silent. There was a quiet cussing from the room and something hitting the ground in a bang before the door flew open and Rachel grinned at all of us.

"Hey," she said, still smiling, even though there was blue paint in her red hair and a speck of red on her nose.

"You have paint on your nose," Piper said brightly, walking in. Rachel blushed and scrubbed at her face furiously, trying to get it off. I looked around the room. It was very distinctly Rachel's. There were a bunch of glowing lanterns hung up around the room, with paintings and photo's that she must have taken. Her bed was huge, complete with a 'Keep Calm at least it's not Monday', that I assumed revolved around the week.

Rachel caught my eye. "On Monday's it says, 'stuff keeping calm, it's Monday!'."

I grinned at her. Connected to the frame of her bed were Polaroid's. One was of Percy riding black jack, another was of Piper and I cooking marshmallows over the camp fire that was a bright, happy yellow. Another was of Grover and Juniper having a snow fight. Another was of Mr. D telling off the Stol's.

Jace looked around the room, first spotting his girlfriend, then Ginny and then Rachel. "I'm drowning in red heads," he said somberly.

"You'll be drowning for real in a moment," Rachel said spookily. "And no one will be able to save yooouuuuuu!" I laughed. So did Clary and Ginny.

"We need your help," Ginny said. "We need you to tell us what we need to do."

"A prophecy," Harry said sourly. "Please,"

Rachel sighed but nodded, climbing onto her bed. She closed her eyes and we all leant in apprehensively, holding our breaths.

She breathed deeply for a few seconds before her eyes flew open and she shook her head.

"Sorry, but they," she nodded her head to where Jason, Piper, Thalia and Leo were sitting. "Need to go."

"But I'm going with them!" Thalia said, outraged.

Rachel nodded, trying to be diplomatic. "Yes, but you joined them, you weren't picked." Rachel's words didn't have the desired effect. Thalia scrunched up her face and pouted stubbornly just as Piper, Leo and Jason herded themselves out of the room. I knew that look. She was going to refuse just for refusals sake. I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Thals, come on, I'll fill you in, I promise. You're important, way important, but you weren't picked for this." Thalia rolled her eyes and walked out. She had the 'I was going to do it anyway, actually I wasn't but don't tell' look about her. You have to be careful with Thalia. She knows when flattery reaches condescending and seriously doesn't accept when she'd worse than someone else. The door closed behind her with a _click_.

As soon as our eyes adjusted to the dim lighting from the lanterns, Rachel's face sagged and closed just as her mouth opened. The voice that came out wasn't hers.

"_Three worlds must merge, this much is so,_

_To uproot chaos, to not let it grow._

_Demigods, Nephilim, Wizards are they,_

_Who keep the world from turning grey._

_Sacrifice, loss of privilege, choices you must make,_

_Death, despair; a turmoil of heartbreak._

_Of all three worlds, all are beyond great,_

_And they must combine to prevent a catastrophic fate."_

Rachel's voice trickled down to nothing and she opened her eyes. She collapsed back onto the bed, but nobody moved from where they were. I looked at all the other faces in the room. Most were unreadable, except for Percy's and Harry's.

"Fantastic," Percy mumbled. "Brilliant. Yep, they're still depressing to listen to. I didn't make that up."

"Yep, ok." Harry's voice was brighter than I thought it'd be. "That really could have gone better."

"Agreed," I muttered, clasping my hand around the hilt of my knife and staring into the air, processing the lines into memory and working through each line, thinking.

It's what I'm best at, after all.

**Ok, that's another chapter! :).**

**Reviews are hot Saturday evenings!**

**Lots of love, your ever patient author, **


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**I've worked it all out. I mean my life that is. So, all throughout the week, I wait for the weekend, and then on the weekend, I dread Monday. There's probably something wrong with that… OH WELL.**

**Some Hinny in this chapter. I'm sorry about the lack of interaction (romantically). I'm just more of an action person.**

**Also, I've decided to write longer chapters. I just really need to get things moving without writing a ridiculous amount of chapters.**

**O.C warning for this chapter!**

**Seeya's.**

* * *

Ginny

I half closed my eyes when we exited the house. The sun was sitting at eye height. I blinked furiously, trying to chase away the spots that sat behind my eyelids.

"I like it here," I said to Harry.

"Mmmm," He said. "Homily."

"Happy," I said.

"It's hard not to see it as a War camp though," Harry mused. He still looked upset from the prophecy. I sighed and held onto his hand. He turned and looked down to me. Ever since he had shot up in 6th year and I'd refused to grow in my 5th, I had to look up and he had to look down. It was just one of those things that had to happen eventually, but was sad when it did. I reached up gingerly and ran my finger over his scar.

"It's fading," I said lowly. I tried not to be sad. This was change, this was good. We were moving on, passed Voldermort and Fred and Tonks and Remus and everyone else.

"I know," his reply was sad as well. I stood up on my toes and kissed him gently. When I pulled back he seemed happier.

"Now be happy," I ordered, taking his hand and leading him to where the group had wandered passed us. "Or I'll have to kiss you again."

"Freckles, that was an awful incentive," he was grinning now. It lit up his whole face. His glasses glinted of small smidgens of light.

I quirked an eyebrow. "I doubt I'll be giving you much incentive to do anything if you call me 'Freckles' again."

Harry grinned broadly and didn't say anything, but kissed me on the top of my head.

"I need a shower," I groaned. Harry sighed.

"So do I," he admitted.

"You don't smell that bad," I said.

"One of the many attractions of being a wizard," Harry said happily in reply.

"I'm sure," I muttered. Why didn't I get to learn how to make myself smell like I was freshly clean?

"Hermione did it," Harry added, as if noting my discomfort. "Something about combining charms and transfiguration. And then something else about refusing to put up with me if I smelt like old Quidditch robes."

"Sounds like her," I laughed. By then we'd arrived at the back of the group. We were walking towards a sort of pavilion, where a group of Nymphs and Campers hung around. The campers were eating and the Nymphs were carrying around plates of meat and bread. I saw one with a platter of olives and another handing out empty cups.

"Lunch?" I asked.

Percy shook his head. "Breakfast." I was taken aback.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"About 9:30," Clary replied, looking at her watch. "We've been here for a while now." I blinked again. I hadn't felt that long, and then again, it hadn't felt short at all. I shook my head. Time was messing with me.

We arrived under the pavilion. There were a load of tables, some full and others empty, with long stools situated at either side. In the middle was a roaring fireplace, paler and less impressive when competing with the suns light.

"Where do we sit?" I asked. I had a sudden sympathy for all the new kids in the world.

"You'll take the Hecate table with Harry," Annabeth nodded to one a little while away. "And you guys can sit on the guest table."

"We're guests!" I blurted out indignantly. If living with 6 pain-in-the-arse brothers told me anything at all, it told me that you should never take anything lying down and question everything.

"You're descendants of Hecate," Percy said. "Sit there before I make you."

Harry and I pushed through a few people and arrived at the table. He slid in and I sat next to him. A nymph walked up to us, holding some cups.

"What are these?" Harry asked.

"You ask them for a drink and it fills with it," the Nymph replied in a pleasant, if somewhat bored, voice.

"Pumpkin juice," I said loudly, and grinned when it filled to the brim with it.

"Butterbeer," Harry said firmly, and is glass filled with the frothy, golden liquid he'd asked for. The Nymph handed us a plate of bread and strawberry jam and then offered eggs and bacon. I shook my head but Harry accepted. She moved away shortly after that.

"What are they…? Oh!" Harry said suddenly. We were watching the campers scrape a portion of their food into the fire. Even from here I could smell the pleasant smoke.

"An offering," Harry's eyes were sparkling. "Brilliant!" I grinned. His enthusiasm was catching. We stood and made our way over to the fire. It was odd, seriously odd, to be surrounded by people who you couldn't call muggles and you couldn't call wizards. It occurred to me then that other worlds might exist, even further than Shadow Hunters and Half-Bloods.

I scraped a portion of my jam into the fire and it wafted up to the heavens. It smelt like chocolate coated raspberries. I smiled a little to myself. They must be Hecate's favorite.

When we arrived back at our seat, we found that we weren't the only people there. A girl with wide eyes and purple hair sat across from us. She smiled when we sat down.

"Hello," she said. She wasn't American, I could tell that much. Maybe Icelandic or Norwegian. Her accent had a pleasant tilt.

"Hi," I smiled.

"Hey," Harry said, before tucking into his strawberry jam and bread. I eyed the bacon and eggs jealously. I should have said yes.

"New siblings?" A guy asked her, who slid into a seat to her right.

"Maybe," she said. "I have not asked them yet."

"We're descendents from Hecate," I told them. "I'm a Witch. Ginny Weasley."

"Wizard," Harry added, pointing in his own general direction. "Harry Potter."

"Lara," she smiled sweetly and shook my hand. "This is Robert."

"Lara, I told you not to call me that."

"What, your name?" She asked innocently. I picked up my breakfast and started to eat. The bread was amazing. You could almost taste the awesomeness.

"God," I said. "I have no idea how you manage to give some of your food up. This is amazing."

Robert smiled. "Yeah, I know right? I've been here for a month or so and I still don't understand."

"A month?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, not as long as Lara here," Lara rolled her eyes and drank from her goblet. "But long enough to understand just about everything."

"To _think _he understands everything," Lara corrected. "I've been here for three years and I still don't."

Harry started, "Robert—"

"Bobby," he interjected. We looked at him oddly. He stared back. He repeated it again. "Bobby. It's nicer than Robert."

Lara rolled her eyes. "If you're _three_."

Bobby nudged her under the table. "Can it." Lara just smiled sweetly and started on a breakfast Foccacia that made my stomach rumble.

"Ok," Harry said slowly. "Robert." I grinned at Bobby's pissed off expression. "What can you tell us about here?"

"Ask Lara," he said sulkily. "She knows better than me."

"But you're new," Harry pressed. "You're still pushing through first impressions."

Bobby thought for a moment. "Deal." I rolled my eyes and drank some Pumpkin juice.

"So," Harry started. "Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase."

Bobby's eyes lit up. "Legends. Absolute legends. They've been on more quests together than anyone here combined. Percy was the hero of the Second Titan War. Not that I was here for that, of course, but you can imagine the stories."

"Yeah," I said, remembering the recount. "What are they like as campers?"

Now it was Lara's turn to grin. "They win just about every Capture-the-Flag; they're always on the same team."

"They annoy Chiron sometimes," Bobby added.

"Well, Percy does at any rate," Lara smirked.

"What is the general mood around here about the gods?" Harry asked.

Bobby's face darkened. "Neither here nor there. It really depends on _what _god you're talking about. No one voices an opinion for the Big Three," the sky thundered slightly, "but the rest differs."

"Hecate?" I asked.

Now it was Lara's turn to get upset. "Better than it could be. Hecate chose the Titans in the war." Her eyes turned duller throughout the explanation. "No one blames her children, of course…"

"Some do," Bobby allowed.

"Who?" Lara asked, confused.

"Larry Johns," Bobby said adamantly. "You know the one, son of Ares, rather beefy."

Lara rolled her eyes when she placed him. "He hates everyone."

"He doesn't hate Jason," Bobby muttered.

Lara raised her eyebrows. "Yes he does. No one openly admits they hate Jason, the same way that people never openly admit that they're suicidal."

"True," Bobby nodded, light coming back to his eyes. "Very true."

'So what about…' lasted another half an hour. In that time, I had drunk two glasses of both pumpkin juice and Butterbeer, and managed to conclude that the Camp was actually an awesome place to live, most of the time.

You know, when you take away all the monster attacks and near-death experiences that seem awfully common. Finally we had nearly finished all that we could ask.

"So," harry said after a silence. "What about Clarisse?"

Lara smiled to herself. "Bad first impression, eh?"

"Stop saying 'eh'!"

"_No,_"

"How _old _are you? 85?"

"Um," I cleared my throat. "Clarisse?"

Lara started and turned back to us, pushing a lock of her violently violet hair behind her ear.

"She'd lovely when you get to know her." Then she frowned. "'Lovely' is incorrect, but she definitely improves with time."

"Like cheese!" Bobby added.

"And nice wine," Harry added.

"Ugh," Lara threw her hand dramatically across her face. "Don't talk to me about wine. That just brings up awful memories."

"Mr. D?" I asked. Bobby nodded, his face completely serious.

"Ginny?" A voice asked behind me. "Harry?" We turned and saw Clary standing behind us, a slight smear of jam on her collar. "Annabeth said we're allowed to have a shower now."

I was already up before Harry had even digested the words.

Percy

I walked back to the Poseidon cabin. My hair was wet around my neck and my eyes were still stinging from when some shampoo slipped down and got into my eye. The slight wind ruffled through my clothes to my still damp skin. I shivered. I always wondered why I got wet in showers, but it turns out due to the popular belief that showers made you wet, _I _believed that showers made you wet. Peer Pressure!

"Percy!" I turned and saw two familiar faces run at me, grinning. "We heard you were back, man, and we wanted to pop in—"

"Well, _I _suggested it—"

"Percy doesn't want the details Con!"

"I don't want him thinking _you _did!"

"If you'll remember correctly, I said we _both _did!"

"Hey guys," I said, smirking. "How are things? Connor? Travis?" Out of all the people I expected to run at me, bickering and finishing each others sentences were the Stoll brothers. Not twins, but close enough to be anyway.

"Fine, good, whatever," Connor said, grinning that untrustworthy, Hermes-style grin.

"Better, fine, nicer now that Annabeth and you aren't here making out every two seconds," Travis said, matching his brothers smile.

"You and Katie are doing a fantastic job of it in the meantime though, aren't you?" Connor asked innocently. Travis and Katie, the head counselor for the Demeter Cabin, had begun life at camp with a love hate relationship, or rather, Katie had hated Travis and Travis nursed a soft spot for her. Finally, after years of pestering, he managed to get her to go out on a date with him. From what I heard from the Aphrodite cabin, it was pretty spectacular. They went on a date through three countries, U.S.A, Italy and France, and managed to do it all in a day. I suppose having a dad who was the god of travelers helped.

"Sorry guys," I said. "Gotta go, duty calls."

"Epic," Travis said happily. "Have fun."

"Try to," I said dryly.

"Neat stuff, man," Connor said, whistling a few lines. Then he hit himself in the head with his hand. "Sorry, nearly forgot! Blackjack wants to see you!"

I hesitated for a second. "Does he want sugar cubes?"

Travis shook his head. "Doughnuts, dude, that's all he ever wants." I swore under my breath.

"I _knew _taking him to that place wouldn't help things."

"I'm pretty sure somebody told you that before you did it," Travis said unhelpfully.

"Someone whom you're particularily fond of—"

"They have grey eyes—"

"And blonde hair—"

"And—"

"I get it!" I interrupted. "Clever, really. I could have never worked all that out on my own."

"Do I detect sarcasm, Mr. Son-of-Poseidon?"

"Excellent interpretation skills, Stoll," I snapped. "But I really have to go."

"And see Blackjack," Connor said.

"Later."

"Now!" I started to walk off, knowing that they probably wouldn't follow.

"See you later!" I called back. I heard them laugh and then begin to talk again. I grinned. There really was just something about the Stoll's.

I headed into my cabin and stuffed a few things that I thought I wouldn't need originally, like a compass and a map, along with a fresh supply of deodorant and clothes. I wasn't sure when the next shower would be.

I exited my cabin, my bag now full, nearly bursting. I ran my hand through my hair a couple of times, trying to pull all the water out. The others were in the rec room, so I followed a familiar path and stepped in. Everyone looked up when I opened the door.

"You're late," Annabeth frowned.

"Hardly," I brushed off, taking the seat next to Harry.

"You were meant to be here ten minutes ago!"

"I ran into the Stoll's," I said defensively. Then I looked around the room. "I'm not even the last one here!" Clary and Annabeth were on one side of the Table tennis table and Ginny, Harry and I were on the other. Jace and Chiron weren't even here yet.

Annabeth didn't even falter. "You were supposed to be here earlier than anyone else."

"Why?" I demanded. She rolled her eyes.

"Because you're the demigod, and we're at your home turf!"

"You're a demigod too, you know," I pointed out, picking up a chip from the centre of the table.

"Fine… just.. ugh! You're impossible!"

"Especially when I make sense."

"Where's Jace?" Ginny asked. Clary shrugged. She didn't seem very worried.

"He's got a reputation to maintain," she said idly. "I doubt he's going to risk it by turning up to somewhere on time." We all sat for a moment and chatted. Five more minutes past and we were still alone. Then the door flew open and Jace sauntered in. The look on Annabeth's face could have killed small children.

"Why are you late?" she demanded. "We _needed _you!"

"Fantastic," Jace said, sliding next to Annabeth. "I love being needed."

"Where were you?" Clary demanded. "We were worried sick!" We all looked at her for a moment. She rephrased.

"Ok, so I was slightly interested and nobody else could really care less, but, still!"

The door opened again and Chiron walked in, looking amused. Annabeth gave him a pointed look but he turned away. I couldn't tell if it was on purpose or not.

"Campers, guests," he greeted us as he took his usual spot at the head of the table. "We have a new prophecy to discuss. Annabeth, if you will?"

Annabeth stood up and recited the lines. The room fell into a different sort of silence, rather than one where people just don't talk. Even though the weather had begun to improve, a chill fell. When she was finished, she sat down carefully, her face closed and thinking.

"That prophecy is not a new one," Chiron said. "But its exact wording was lost. Cassandra of Troy was the first to speak it. That much explains why it was never written down at least."

"But how did you know?" I demanded. "How did you know it meant us?"

"I was told nothing except that Annabeth and yourself needed to meet these heroes," he gestured around the room. "No one was."

"Who told you?" Harry asked.

Chiron faltered for a second. "I don't know."

"You don't—"

"It was a dream," Chiron said gravely. "A dream I will never remember, a dream that left one, single, immediate thought in my head."

"That we needed to meet," Ginny said, understanding. "That _we _needed to work it all out."

"I think," Annabeth's voice rose up from the corner. "I think the word 'chaos' should be capitalized."

"Chaos?" I asked. "As in the—"

"The thing from which all things sprung," Jace said quietly. We all turned to him, shocked. "What?" he demanded. "I do know _some _things you know."

"We knew that," Ginny said. "We just didn't know it went further than being a prat."

"Sorry," I interjected, standing up. "But we're stopping Chaos, as in the giant, _gave birth to the furies _monster? Is that even _possible_? How are we supposed to do it?" I could see the realization hit a few people's faces. Annabeth turned paler. I saw her swallow.

"We need to stop him before he fully forms," she said quietly. "That's what the prophecy means."

"We…" Harry faltered. "We need to destroy Chaos? As in…"

"Chaos," Chiron confirmed. We were silent for a moment. Wrapped up inside of ourselves. We'd all fought, we'd all won, but this was huge. This was _Chaos_.

"What do we do?" Clary asked quietly. "What _can _we do?"

"Win," there was determination in Ginny's voice when she spoke. The red heads eyes gleamed fiercely. "Win because we have to win, because there's no other option."

"Where do you think he'll rise?" Jace asked Chiron, for once, deadly serious.

"Somewhere of importance," cam Chiron's response. "Somewhere big. A centre of the world."

"There are loads of centres," Harry said. "Which one do you think?"

"I don't know, child," he looked sad. It didn't exactly inspire confidence.

"We could ask Dumbledore," Ginny said thoughtfully. "It's our turn."

"Hogwarts?" Chiron asked the young witch and wizard. They nodded. He nodded as he spoke. "It would be best, if you did. There are many things a person can learn, if only they retrace their steps."

**First off, I'd like to thank all you awesome guys and gals out there who are reading this. You, my friends, are simply awesome. Wow, I just realise how long this chapter is. Oh well!**

**Reviews are roasted Marshmallows!**

**-MSxx**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**Ok, who else loves to eat? I know you do! Btw, if anyone was wondering, toast is my favorite food. Mmmm, vegemite toast still warm and crispy… *drools like Percy***

**Lara and Bobby come back in this chapter. **

**This chapter is dedicated to Gaia was Framed, pretty much because she's awesome and was so welcoming when I first came on.**

**Seeya's.**

* * *

Jace

Clary and I sat beside each other around the campfire, her arm brushing mine in that familiar, beautiful way I'll never grow tired of. The kids of Apollo led most of the singing, when I say most, I mean that the drinking songs were normally headed by the Hermes cabin, and the Aphrodite tried (and failed) to bring some 'taste' to the sing along by adding in a few recent hits. It was a wonder they weren't permanently banned.

A girl with violenetly purple hair who was sitting next to me looked over when I mentioned it to Clary.

She laughed. "Yeah that's what most people think."

"So why then?" Clary asked, curious.

"Piper McLean," The purple headed girl said simply. "Not only is she completely awesome and respected, but her boyfriend is the son of Zeus."

"She's the head of the Aphrodite cabin, right?" I asked, trying to recall all the facts from Percy's story. Then I smirked. "Figures." Clary hit me on the leg.

"Lara," she shook both of our hands. "Daughter of Hecate. I met Harry and Ginny at Breakfast." I remembered all that had happened in between breakfast and now, and wondered how we fit so much into one day. After the war council and then lunch, Percy had shrugged when we asked him what we were allowed to do. I decided my luck on the lava climbing wall (Percy shouldn't have laughed, I only fell once) and then decided to stay another full day afterwards, mainly because we wanted to play Capture-the-flag, and also because exhaustion was nearly constantly coating my vision with an odd kind of haze.

"Jace—"

"Herondale," she finished, smiling quietly. "Or so I've been told."

"Where's Jace Herondale?" A boy demanded who had been sitting next to her.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "This is. And this is Clarissa—"

"Morgenstern," Bobby proudly finished Lara's sentence. Then he noticed Clary's darkened face and backtracked. "I, uh, I mean Fray, yes, Fray. Why would I say Morgenstern? That's not even—"

"Bobby," Lara interjected.

"Yes?" he replied meekly.

"You're embarrassing yourself."

He sighed and stared into the fire. "I know." Then he looked up at our bemused and entertained expressions and, while blushing fiercely, shook both our hands.

"Bobby," he said. "Son of Hecate. If you call me Robert I'll turn you into a sugar cube."

"Lovely to meet you, Robert," I smirked, shaking his outstretched hand. Clary also shook his hand, just smiling and nodding. I suppose she still hadn't forgiven him for the whole 'whoops, sorry, forgot that you hated your father. My bad' thing from before.

Lara turned to Bobby. "I told you people will just call you Robert anyway." She poked a marshmallow I don't remember her getting onto the end of a long stick I also have no memory of. "Especially when you make stupid threats like that."

"My threat was not stupid." Lara gave him a look. "Or unrealistic." I sniggered. He turned to me. "Or _funny _in any way."

"Sorry," Clary said. "But it was."

"At least threaten something realistic," I suggested. The firelight caught the edge of his frowning fast. The rest was cast into shadow. "Like a tree branch, or a piece of coal." Bobby looked thoughtful and Lara rolled her eyes, picking off her finished marshmallow and popping it in her mouth.

"No one will still take you seriously," she commented.

"Lara's right," Clary added, picking out a marshmallow when the bag came around. "Not people who know you used the threaten with sugar cube transformation anyway."

"New people will though," he remained thoughtful.

"Not if they talk for two seconds with anyone else around here," Lara said brightly. I picked out three marshmallows and nursed them in my hand. "Especially me," she added as an afterthought.

Bobby looked gloomy now. "So I'll never truly shake this unrelenting curse?"

"Sorry," I interjected. "But who actually says 'unrelenting' in anything other than an English exam."

Now it was Clary's turn to roll her eyes. "You have never sat any type of exam in your life."

"True," I conceded, dipping my head.

"And in answer to your question Bobby," Lara said happily. "No, no they will not."

He sighed heavily and announced he was going to take a stroll down the beach.

"The Harpies will get you," Lara said pointedly.

"They _might_," Bobby conceded. "However, I doubt that anyone would doubt my prowess, especially a bunch of dumb Harpies."

I raised my eyebrows. This guy was a lot of talk, I'd heard the stories, from randoms around camp and then Percy and Annabeth's conversations.

"Don't expect me to wear white to your funeral," I said, throwing another marshmallow into my mouth. Bobby looked confused.

"Shadow Hunter thing," Clary supplied, when she recognized the general confusion.

"Wait," I said. "You don't wear white?"

"I'm going!" Bobby announced. No one reacted. He mumbled to himself and walked away, kicking some stone along as he did so.

"Normally, people wear black," Lara supplied, shrugging.

"Black?" I asked. I turned to Clary. "How come I don't know this?"

Clary shrugged. "You lack perception."

I huffed. "I lack nothing!"

She rose her eyebrows. "You lack _most _things."

"Shhhh!" Lara interrupted suddenly. "I love this song!"

"What is it?" Clary asked.

"My Great, Great, Great, Grandfather is a Goat," she replied happily.

"Sorry, what?" I asked, flabbergasted.

She ignored me. "And if it would please you sir, to give me my coat," she sang. "My great, great, great Grandfather, is a goat!" And then she proceded to yell out raucously along with all the other campers, who were imitating drowning a few hundred litres of some form of Alcohol. From the way they acted afterwards, I'm going to assume that it was stronger than probably legal in this part of America.

Then they started on the second verse, and when they hit the chorus again, I managed to join in. It was infectious, the warmth, the friendship, the unity. People were laughing together, everyone had somewhere they fit. They all knew all the words to all the songs, the Apollo campers seemed to not mind that the majority of their friends were hands down tone deaf, and across the fire I saw Percy, Thalia, Jason and Nico sitting next to each other, things that should have split, mixed. It was an odd sort of harmony.

The campfire died down around half an hour after that. Most of the younger campers had already left, but the older ones still stayed. We all moved in closed, huddling for warmth. Chiron had left a few verses into 'My Great, Great, Great Grandfather is a Goat', apologizing and laughing. Annabeth left after the majority of the twelve year olds and then Clarisse soon after her. Glaring at me maliciously, might I add. I noticed she only seemed tipsy during the rendition. It was hard to pretend I wasn't a little pleased she fell off her high horse.

The fire was burning down to embers, which illuminated themselves and almost nothing else. I could see Clary's face carefully sculpted by the amber light, catching her hair and glittering off her eyes. She looked so beautiful. She smiled when she saw me and rested her head on my shoulder. I clasped my arm around her shoulders, breathing in the sweat and tears and dirtiness and the flowery scent from the shampoo that only just seemed to cover it up from the past few days and living perfectly content with the knowledge that given the chance to be anywhere else, I would decline it with all my heart.

"G'night guys," Percy said, standing up with Leo, Piper, Jason and Thalia. "Don't forget to actually sleep." Percy had organized us rooms in the Big House, and I wasn't overly excited for trekking back up there in near pitch-black. I watched as they left. Now only a few Apollo campers and Lara sat. But soon she said goodbye with a yawn and a wave, following with a promise to catch us in the morning. Then the Apollo campers left and it was just me and Clary. It hadn't been just the two of us for far too long. Not like this, with full bellies and philosophical minds.

"I love you, you know," I said suddenly.

"I love you, too, idiot," Clary said, nudging me softly, as if it was supposed to be obvious.

"At the risk of sounding cliché—"

"Don't worry," Clary rolled her eyes. "You've already passed that."

I smirked. "Well, considering the fact that the risk has happened and no one is overly maimed—"

"Speak for yourself," she muttered. I smiled.

"Now I'm not going to tell you," I said. "You little interrupter you."

"Ok," Clary said pleasantly, standing up and wrapping a blanket around her shoulders. "But we should really go now."

"Is that because you want to cry yourself to sleep?" I asked jokily, standing up and pulling out her hand.

She scoffed. "Not likely, twinkle toes."

I frowned. "Why twinkle toes?"

Clary was quiet for a minutes, thoughtful. "I don't actually know. When an insult comes at you in a time of crisis, you don't doubt it."

I raised my eyebrows. We were halfway across the camp site. It was eerily quiet. We were nearly at the Big House. "_That _was the insult that came to you in a time of crisis?"

"Hey!" she threw up her arms and her blanket slid to the ground. "Don't judge me!"

"You dropped your blanket," I observed. "And I am judging you, I can't help it."

"Yeah, thanks Captain Obvious," Clary said, rolling her eyes and plucking it off the ground. "I would have never worked that out on my own."

"The moons not very bright tonight," I said, looking over my head at the diminished beauty of the silver orb. "It's fading."

"Mmm," Clary said, distracted. She dusted the dirt off her blanket, slid her hand inside mine and forced me to continue on my way.

"Where are the Harpy's?" I asked.

She looked at me oddly. "How on earth am I supposed to know?"

"Oh, you know things," I said airily. I noticed her expression. "Come on, you know heaps of things."

"Honey, I know many things when it comes to Manga, ridiculous band names and what best to wear to a Mundane funeral," she said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "But I do not know the general habits of the Camps Harpies."

"I don't really like Harpies," I mused. "They have weird teeth."

"I'm sure that to a Harpy, you have weird teeth," Clary allowed. We were almost at the big house now. I stepped up onto the verandah and helped Clary after me. The floor creaked under my shoes and the door opened with a squeal of protest.

"At this rate, you're going to wake the whole bloody neighborhood," Clary said, annoyed.

"Nah," I said lightly, pushing through the door. Clary filed in after me. "I'm too charming. I can pretty much control sleep patterns."

"You mean that your stupid stories are so boring they could send even a camp of ADHD kids to sleep?" Clary asked conversationally. "If so, then yeah. I'm totally with you." I smothered a laugh as we crossed the hall to our rooms. We passed the infirmary and a room that looked like Chiron's, and then another that was probably Dionysus'.

"My stories, are _not _boring," I said defensively. "They might be long, but they have plenty—"

"Of self promoting lines and a huge finale where you, single handedly I might add, manage to save the day," Clary finished dryly, resting her hand on her door knob.

"You're awesome," she said cheerily. "I love you."

"Love you too," I said, grinning at her. She smiled at me, a pretty, real smile that lit up her face, before slipping into her room.

"I _am_ awesome," I muttered to myself happily, before entering my room and finding my bed, falling asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Harry

The next morning was a little different from the first. That being, no weirdo outsiders managed to somehow sneak into camp, no full on spear battles commenced between one of these weirdo's and a daughter of Ares and nobody was trying to predict what might be said in a prophecy that they'd be listening to later that day.

Regardless to say, it was odd. Ginny and I took our usual spots on the Hecate table across from Lara and Bobby.

"Morning, Lara," I greeted. "Bob- Merlin! What happened to your face?" Bobby sat there glumly, his face covered in bandages and scratches. Lara just rolled her eyes.

"He thought taking a stroll would be a good idea," she said, helping herself to some jam from a nearby nymph. "The Harpies disagreed." Bobby nodded, forlorn.

"They took a chunk out of my eyebrow," he said, upset. "And managed to cover the rest with scratches."

"Why can't you just heal it?" Ginny asked. "Don't you have nectar for that?"

Bobby sniffed. "Well, Chiron said I had to learn a lesson, so he said no."

"That's kind of harsh," I reflected. But Bobby just shook his head.

"No, he was right. Next time it could be something worse," he said. "And anyway, I was lucky to survive at all." I winced for him.

"How strong are these harpies?"

"Not very on their own," Lara supplied. "But they normally attack in groups."

"In my case, a group of three," Bobby said, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Yes, fighting off three Harpies meant he lost all rights to Capture-the-Flag this evening. Isn't that right Robert?" Lara said snarkily.

"Yeah," he said, depressed. All the pride that had originally been there slipped away.

"Harsh?" Ginny guessed, accepting her breakfast. I took mine shortly after, piling up the bread. That stuff was almost too good.

"Kind of," Bobby said, shrugging.

"Well," Lara said, smirking. "It's a blessing for us."

Bobby glared at his sister. "I will transform your pillow into a porpoise so help me…"

"I'm sorry, but what self-respecting teen says 'so help me'?"

"So, what are we doing for Capture-the-Flag?" I asked quickly, trying to avoid any unnecessary transfiguration between the children of Hecate.

"Oh!" Bobby said proudly. "I know the answer to that!" We all waited for him to continue.

"Chiron told Katie, to tell Travis, to tell Percy, to tell me, to tell you that you're to do it with Percy, Annabeth, Clary and Jace. Apparently, they managed to get a allegiance with the rest of the Athena Cabin and the Hephaestus cabin."

"It's going to be an interesting one," Lara said happily. "Most of the time, Percy and Jason manage an alliance on the same team, and then the Aphrodite, Athena and Hephaestus cabins follow. Then they get all the other good guys, because they've pretty much got the pick."

"What team are you usually on?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, theirs," Bobby said. "Hecate's children are pretty powerful, after all, but you know, it gets a bit boring, winning every time."

"Why doesn't Chiron just split them up?" I asked. It seemed like a logical thing to do.

"That's not the point of the game," Lara said, brandishing her jam roll all around her as it accompanied her talk. "The point is to get the best allies you can and then use everything to your advantage. Every time someone complains, Chiron goes into this long winded speech where he explains the unfairness of war and the Hannibal regime through Rome and blah, blah, blah." Lara rolled her eyes.

"So we're going to fight? On purpose?" I asked, it still seemed weird to me.

"Yeah, well, we don't kill each other," Bobby said. "It's just training."

"Still seems intense," Ginny said.

"It is. Especially with the Ares and Athena cabins," Lara answered her. "Gods do they take everything to a whole new level of seriousness."

We fell into a comfortable, eating silence after that. Lara finished early and announced her plans to visit Jace and Clary, and the bandaged Bobby followed soon after.

"Hello!" A pleasant voice announced from behind us. Ginny and I turned and saw two brothers, perhaps twins, standing side by side. They had features I would typically place with the Hermes cabin.

"Travis," said one brother.

"Connor," said the other.

"We're not twins," Travis said.

"Most people think we are," Connor added, rolling his eyes for emphasis.

"We hear you're playing Capture-the-Flag with Percy," Travis put in. "We were wondering if you'd do us the honor of joining with us."

"We don't have a team, as of yet," Connor added brightly. "And it would be nice if we did."

"Uh," I said. "Maybe we should, you know, consult the others."

"Fantastic idea," Connor said, smiling encouragingly. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to pop off and stick it to the Apollo table." And with that, he turned on his heel and walked off.

Travis sighed. "I better go stop him." Then he thought for a moment. "…Or help him." And then he ran off after his brother.

"They were so like—"

"Fred and George?" I asked, grinning. "They were brilliant." Ginny and I both stood up and moved to where Percy was eating his breakfast with Tyson seated next to him.

"Oh," he said, waving when he saw us. "Hi!"

"Morning Percy," Ginny greeted. "Tyson." He waved shyly. He whispered something to Percy and then moved away. Percy watched him go with a touch of sadness.

"Don't mind him," he said. "He's just shy."

"So he _doesn't _hate us?" I asked, skeptical.

"Tyson has never hated anyone in his life," Percy said defensively. Then he shook himself. "Any particular reason you're here to relieve me of my boredom or am I just lucky?"

"Oh, we wanted to ask whether the Hermes cabin could join us in Capture-the-Flag," I said. "They asked us."

"Oh," Percy looked surprised. "Sure, I mean, I say yes, but ask Annabeth. She'd the master strategist after all."

"Oh, alright," Ginny said, waving goodbye. "See you soon."

"Don't get scratched by a Harpy," Percy said brightly, before shoving a heap of food into his mouth.

We walked off to the Athena cabin. Annabeth was a little worried when she heard our plan, but I could almost hear her brain speeding through all of the possibilities a group of fleet-footed demigods brought.

"If you see them, tell them they can, but," Annabeth turned serious. "They aren't allowed to play any stupid pranks during the game." We said goodbye and turned back to the valley.

"Lara was right," Ginny said as we walked down the hill. "The Athena campers _do _take this way too seriously." We paused halfway down the hill. It was only early morning, but the day showed spectacular promise. The sun glinted on the water where a group of demigods were canoeing and across the grass I saw a few demigods practicing a play in the Amphitheatre. The archery range was nearly empty. I could see Thalia down there, shooting perfect arrows time after time.

"Want to go to the targets?" Ginny asked suddenly, a glint of something in her eye. Bravery, or excitement, or anticipation. Maybe a mixture of all three.

"Why?" I asked. "I'm not sure I'm into you shooting me with a wayward arrow."

"No, let's use our wands," Ginny said impatiently. "We can aim stunning curses and stuff."

I wrinkled up my nose. "But I'm pretty sure that we'd ruin the targets if we did that." Ginny tugged on my hand, tugging me along behind her.

"Come on, Mr. Potter," she said, putting on her best 'McGonagall' voice. "You have work to do."

I groaned but followed her anyway, laughing when she nearly tripped over when the muscles she had been using on pulling me along were very suddenly overused. She scowled but accepted my hand to help her up. Her hair had spilled over her face and her nose was scrunched in annoyance.

"It's not funny," she denied, when I didn't stop laughing. Her lips twitched.

"Ok," she conceded. "It's a little funny."

We walked the rest of the way there like that, my laughter dying down and then firing up whenever I remembered her expression and her trying her very hardest not to join in.

**By guys! Thanks for being awesome! And if you could, would you check out my new story, 'How to fix Something Unfixable'? It's a crossover between the Hunger Games, Percy Jackson and Harry Potter.**

**Sorry Harry had so little air time. Next chapter, they're all going to get a bit, so I'll make sure his is extra long. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**So, the much-anticipated Capture-the-Flag is happening in this chapter. I'm jumping straight into it, and everyone's going to get a little bit of the limelight. Hey, anyone reckon I should bring Octavian in? Maybe just so Ginny can punch him in the face. **

**Food for thought…**

**Anyway, sorry, but I decided to just make it a girls chapter. BUT HARRY WILL STILL GET LOADS OF TIME NEXT CHAPTER. It was kind of hard to squeeze all of it into one chapter, especially when you're me and have the patience of a walnut.**

* * *

Clary

Annabeth and Percy stood at the head of our group, helmets under arms and armor done up tightly around their bodies. They grinned at each other and chatted. The Hermes cabin still had to arrive, and the Hephaestus and Athena were discussing inventions over to the side.

Leo arrived in a huff.

"They're coming now," he said, partly breathless. I realized he must have run the entire way from the camp right to the area in the forest we'd been allocated to. "Connor and Travis told me _not_ to send apologies. I'm not really sure why."

"Alright, good job, Leo," Annabeth said, beckoning for him to join them.

Harry muttered something under his breath and stared, annoyed, at the way the Hermes cabins would have to come. If they ever even came at all.

"This is ridiculous," Jace said, not quietly but not loudly either. "I thought they were the kids of the 'fleet-footed' god."

Percy sighed and pushed his hand through his hair. "Ugh, I don't know. They're probably looting the Ares cabin while it's unguarded."

"What?" Ginny asked. "Why?"

Annabeth caught in on the conversation. She shrugged. "To annoy Clarisse."

"Which, as you can picture, isn't as hard as it looks," Leo commented.

"Excuse me?" A voice called, indignant. "We strive to try our very hardest to irritate."

"Especially when it comes to a certain child of Ares," Another, similar voice called out. We turned around and saw the entire Hermes cabin walking up through the trees. Connor and Travis were leading them, the former the occupant of the first voice that had announced their arrival, and Travis the owner of the second which had confirmed it.

"About time," Malcolm, Annabeth's brother, muttered somewhere near me. "Took them long enough."

"I heard that, Owl Droppings," Connor shot back to Malcolm, who muttered something else quietly and turned a little pink.

Percy scowled. "Why can't I think of appropriately mean nick names?"

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Maybe because you consider that and appropriately mean nick name."

"May we begin?" I called out, tired of waiting around. Ever since I had learned to fight, it had bubbled and formed inside of me into a mixture of desire and exhilaration. Quite frankly, I was more excited for this then I let on.

"Excellent idea," Percy said, forcibly briskly. "Ok!" he directed the last shout off to the still chatting demigods. He walked on top of some roots that placed him a good head over everyone else, even Harry and Jace, who were seriously tall.

"First off, we need to capture and defend Zeus' Fist! So, Half of the Athena cabin, I need you to take five from the Hephaestus and six from the Hermes. You guys," he nodded to the Hephaestus kids. "Will be in charge of rigging, booby trapping and securing the area. The rest of the Hermes," they stood up straight. "You're on the first line of defense. Create a big circle around the flag. Hephaestus campers, you're on second. I need you to do the same thing the other are going to do to Zeus' fist."

They all nodded to each other and split up. They had changed so suddenly to the groups that Percy had allocated, I was shocked. I supposed this was when the godly blood kicked in. I shivered. I had never thought I would ever be as scared of a bunch of kids as I am now.

Percy called a huddle for us and began speaking quickly. His eyes were focused. I realized that whoever won this, Jason or Percy, would have far more superiority than ever before. Maybe this was one of the reasons Chiron never protested when they went together (Ginny had filled me in on everything while we changed).

"Jace, Clary, you guys are to stay here, defend the flag, stay hidden until you're completely sure that they aren't about to be stopped by someone else." Jace and I nodded. "Ginny, Harry, you're to go to Zeus' fist. Rig it with the Hephaestus cabin, and then find Annabeth and me. We need you to fight off the Hecate cabin." He looked at us all quickly. "Annabeth and I are going to try to sneak through. Knowing Jason, he's likely to think we've sent two parties, so the smaller the better." He must have noticed my disappointment.

Ginny

Percy continued to speak. "Ok, Ginny, Harry," we both nodded at him. "Find Leo. He's going with the group to Zeus's fist. He'll tell you what you need to do." We broke apart and Harry and I slid down to Leo, where he was laughing with the rest of his Cabin. He sobered a little when he saw us, but still had that glint of mirth in his eyes.

"Hey," I said timidly.

"Oh, sup," he said. "You're the wizards, right?"

"Witch," I said lazily, waving my hand in the air. "Specifics. It happens." Leo grinned.

"So, we're helping you blow stuff up?" Harry asked. Leo was about to respond but a conch shell blew (**A/N, not sure how they start it. Whatever.) **and we walked off, my hand around my wand.

"Oh, yeah," he had a murderous glint in his eye now. That, mixed with the mirth one, wasn't exactly a promising mixture. "It's going to be epic."

The 'Zeus' Fist Group' had begun to walk through more and more trees. There was silence, other than the occasional hooting from owls overhead and the sudden scuffle in the underbrush as an animal was disturbed. In the back of my mind, I swore I heard swords clash and screams of pain, but I was probably just swirling in anticipation. I sighed. If only I had a broom. The group began to slow down and Leo pulled out a tiny machine from his pocket.

"What does—" It felt like everyone turned around to hush me. "That do?" I continued, many decibels lower.

"It tells us exactly where the people are," Leo said, allowing it to run across the ground. Harry and I watched intently as it disappeared into the leaf litter.

Harry watched it go with admiration. "That is seriously cool."

"Hey," Leo said suddenly. "Can I take a look at your wand?" Harry seemed taken aback.

"Uh, sure." Leo took it and studied it carefully. He turned it over in his hands a few times. He kept frowning.

"Something—"

"And this is a phoenix feather?" Leo asked, interrupting my question. I sniffed.

"Uh, yeah. And the wood's Holly."

Leo looked perplexed now. "Why would the wood have anything to do with the way the wand worked?" Before we could explain, the tiny machine whizzed up to us, grinding steadily to a halt at Leo's feet. He picked it up and studied the screen on the back, just as I studied the thing itself. It looked like a tiny mechanical spider, with four legs rather than eight and a tiny screen that was presenting a list of seemingly random letters and numbers, although Leo seemed to understand what it was saying.

"Ok!" He announced, not overly loudly but with the confidence that no one would over hear him. "According to this, we've got three rings guarding Zeus' fist. The first is Aphrodite's kids," there were a few grins at this. "The second is Demeter," the grins turned to scowls. "And then the last is Ares." There were numerous groans at this.

"Which ones?" A tall, blonde Hermes camper asked nervously.

"Ah, let's see," Leo turned back to his contraption. "Larry," I frowned. The name was familiar. "Theodore and Rachelle." The others looked a little happier after that.

"It could have been worse," the same Hermes camper said quietly to her brother. Leo informed us that there were 20 Aphrodite (although from what I'd heard, it seemed that for every Aphrodite fighter was useful for about a third of what some others could do) and then 15 Demeter.

"Alright!" Leo said cheerfully. "Let's all try our very best not to die." Needless to say, it wasn't very comforting.

We split out, spreading out. It felt like a game, something a child would play, except the others treated it as if it were deathly real. I held my wand out and wandered to the left with Harry, the darkness beginning to settle all around us.

I saw the first girl before she saw me. It seemed like a stupid idea, splitting up and circling them, rather than charging forward, except if there's one thing worse than splitting up, it's allowing the enemy to surround you.

I flicked my wand quickly, and knocked her out. The red light from the stunning spell illuminating the dark for a minute. And then, as if all at once, we were facing a group of Aphrodite fighters, all armed to the teeth and fiercer and stronger than the original Barbie impression I'd been given. There were six, three had bows. The rest had more than one knife. The game of projectiles was one.

I threw a curse, just as Harry did. It seared the side of a tree as the girl ducked and another threw a knife. I snapped up a shield charm, it caught the knife in mid throw. I took it down and watched as Harry sent a direct stunning curse to one of the Archers. She collapsed immediately. I ducked twice, once for a knife (inside I was wondering what they would do if I were to _die_) and the other for an arrow. For the next arrow, I intercepted it with a ball of fire. Two arrows sped at Harry, and before I had time to cast a shield, he whipped his wand through the air swiftly and silently. The arrows, stopped, turned around and trained on their owners. The Aphrodite girls screeched and scattered.

"Now?" I asked, stunning one before Harry had a chance to answer.

"Now," he affirmed, laughing.

The rest of the campers fell quickly after that. Our stunning curses hit them quickly.

I looked around us and huffed. How come _we _got six? That left 14! When I voiced this to Harry he just smiled.

"We're different, Freckles," he said, ignoring my scowl at the use of his nick name. "People fear difference." He sounded sarcastic, but there was truth in his words.

We both looked around for a second.

"We should really get going," I said, leading the way.

"Uh, yeah," Harry said, catching up to me easily. "Good idea." Darkness truly had fallen now, and we were making our way in the dark. I had no objections to a good old _lumos _charm, but Harry seemed to have misgivings. I'm not going to say I was overly pleased when I hit my knee on a tree stump. It was all I could do to not howl in pain.

We arrived at the next set of campers with a little bit less finesse then the first. It all went wrong when I stepped on a twig.

"People!" A girl shouted. She sounded like Katie, Travis' girlfriend. Biting my lip in anger with myself, I sent a stunning curse out in her general direction. It missed and I saw her frightened face. "Oh my gods! It's the wizards!"

"Wizard and a witch," I snarled, sending out another stun that hit her in the chest. But it was too late. People had already begun to group around us. I counted five. But there could have been more, I just couldn't _see_.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled, hitting one with a full on stunning charm. It was so powerful, that the recipient flew back a few feet, hitting a tree with a bang.

"I hope you're good at Herbology, Ginny," Harry forced out, while he forced a huge wall of fire to erupt before us, catching a spear and an arrow. He morphed it into a dragon and sent it after them. They all jumped out of the way as the huge, bright beast blundered around them Harry's face was white. It had cost him a lot to do that spell.

"Why?" I asked, worried. As it turns out, I was not fantastic at Herbology.

Harry sent me an exasperated look. "Demeter's the goddess of farming and agriculture. Her children are good with plants."

"Oh yeah," I said, blinking at my own stupidity. "Forgot that." No further conversation was possible, as the fight had commenced only a few moments after the dragon had stopped guarding us. It was only as it fizzled out and left the woods cold, dark and friendless, did I realize how much I truly loved dragons. Too bad Hagrid wasn't here to find it out.

I sent a new stunning curse right at one of the demigods. The rest curse hit her chest and she collapsed to the ground. After that, I disarmed one, stunned it and then caused it to rise and then fall on another, and watched with appreciation as my bad-ass boyfriend managed to get the rest.

"Right," I said, poking my wand in my belt and dusting off my hands. "Anything else?" Harry shrugged.

"We can use _lumos_ now," he said, flicking his watch and turning it on.

"Why?" I asked, although doing the same.

"If they don't know where we are now, they're either dumb enough to defeat easily, prepared or not." I smirked.

"Let's do this!"

Annabeth

Percy and I left almost as soon as everyone else had. The sun was setting over the tops of the trees and I gripped my celestial knife harder, hoping that its light would come in handy later.

"Ready?" He asked as we walked through the trees to where we knew the flag would be. I gave him an odd look.

"Embellish," I ordered. He smirked.

"I mean, are you ready?"

I gave him another odd look. "You do realize that you just repeated yourself, right?"

Percy struggled with basic thought process for a minute. "Oh, whoops."

"So, in answer to your question," I said, tightening the strap of my helmet underneath my chin. "Yes I am ready. I am ready for a lot of things. For example, I am ready to eat a cheese sandwich, or retie my boot laces, or put up my hair that way you like—"

"Excellent," Percy said dryly. "Yes, congratulations, that's exactly what I mean."

"Don't click your tongue," I chastised. "You sound trashy."

"_You _sound trashy," Percy shot back, only just realizing the weakness of his argument after it had left his mouth.

I raised my eyebrows at him and he stared at his feet, unable to keep a smile off his face. That was one of the things I love most about Percy. He never took himself too seriously. That was a trait everyone should have.

"So, in answer to your implied—"

"Annabeth, it wasn't implied if I said it _out loud_."

I pouted. He saw my expression and forced his mouth into a normal, smile-less line.

"I'm so sorry, Wise Girl," he said, with all the seriousness he could muster. "I did not realize you had no idea that you were teasing me on purpose or that you were trying your very hardest to create conversation."

I frowned. "I don't have to _try _to make conversation." He said nothing, and looked at me with an air of waiting.

Finally I sighed. "Yes, yes, I'm ready."

Percy grinned. "Excellent. Let's pick up the pace." I looked around. Night was well on its way. Trees were sitting around carefully in the dark, jutting out angrily whenever the light from our swords came too close to its bark. I thought I heard a tree nymph hiss when we got too close, but that could have just been Percy. I mean, who knows? Maybe he's grown into hissing at random things. Like when a dog lifts its leg at a fire hydrant.

Percy suddenly stopped and held up his hand. I jerked his head off to a group of tightly packed together trees, and we went down there and hid, our eyes the only thing poking up, our weapons hastily buried under some dirt.

The first person to come into sight was Jason. Piper was next to him, her knife out and her lips moving silently. I suddenly felt apprehensive. If Piper came _anywhere _near me with her Charmspeak, this entire mission was toast. Percy seemed to have the same thoughts. I looked over at him and saw the veins on his neck stick out, and his face was set in concentration. I didn't doubt his ability to shake it off.

It surprised me then, when I realized, deep down, that I was stronger than it too.

After Jason came the rest of his group. I spotted most of the Hypnos cabin, along with the Iris, Janus and then a few members of the Ares. I frowned. None of the Demeter or Aphrodite cabins at all. I bit my lip. They were both large. I glanced quickly around, hoping that Harry and Ginny would suddenly pop out and join us.

This desire grew when I noticed all of the Hecate cabin.

"Percy," I whispered, almost silently, tugging on his sleeve. "Look." He saw the Hecate cabin and swore equally silently. This was worse than bad. If we were to move at all, or if they were to suspect someone was in the area, they'd know immediately. We had no idea what spells they could have cast around the area.

"This is going to be a bit more difficult than I thought," Percy admitted. Then he turned to me. "As soon as we have an opening, we run. Got it? We need the flag." I nodded and picked up my knife. It sat comfortably in my hand, the familiar leather was warm from where I'd been holding it and had grooved to fit my fingers. I pushed back some hair from my face and waited. Finally they came into earshot.

"Are we sure we're heading the right way?" Piper asked, checking over her shoulder as if we were going to attack them from behind.

Jason shrugged. "No, but knowing Percy, he's probably tried to get a group through somewhere. He's pretty predictable." I could see Percy struggling to keep still now. What with the injustice and his ADHD, it wouldn't be long before he jumped out at them.

My mind kicked into high-speed. Jason was too clever to just go out looking for the attacking group. And there was no way he'd keep the flag unguarded. That meant that there were people all through the forest, all close to the flag. This was good for one reason, that being we'd know when we'd found it, and bad for another, that being we would be hopelessly outnumbered.

Unless Harry and Ginny came soon.

Soon the group had moved on. The light from their weapons disappearing through the trees and darkness swallowing everywhere but where Percy and I were sitting. I got up and dusted my clothes off, and then help Percy get up.

"For the record," Percy said suddenly. "I am not predictable."

"Then how did I know you were going to say that?" I teased, leading the way as we followed the same direction we'd originally been going.

"And how did _I _know _you _were going to say that?" Percy tried, and failed.

I gave him a mock expression of worry." I really isn't your day, is it?"

Percy laughed. "Nope."

We walked along for about five more minutes, completely forgetting our plan for stealth.

"You cannot just—"I started

"One does not simply," Percy corrected.

"Not bad," I said, doing my best not bad Obama face.

"Ooo, good one," Percy grinned.

And then, all of a sudden, we were surrounded. About 20 demigods with helmets and weapons stood in a circle around us, their eyes angry and their weapons sharp.

"Well, that escalated quickly," Percy said.

I choked back a laugh. "Nice," I muttered happily.

And then the campers attacked. I dodged a sword and kicked up, sending the sword out of the user's hand and through the air. I brought my knee up under his chin and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

I caught two knives in quick succession, jerking one with my elbow and then getting the other with my fist. A girl with fiery red hair attacked, and I sprung forward. She swung out her sword and at the last second, pressing against my momentum, I slid next to her, slicing my knife in a complicated disarming move and knocking her over at the knees. Leaves slid under my legs.

I jumped up as quickly as possible. I spared a glance for my boyfriend and saw him hold off at least seven of the attackers. That was good. That bad thing was, the rest were coming for me. All of a sudden I was surrounded again. There were five strong, fit fighters encasing me in a circle. I prepared my knife.

I'd fought off more.

Without warning, I jumped at one of them. I didn't care which. We fell heavily to the ground. I used his body as a pillow and then hit him in the temple with the blunt of my knife.

Hands gripped by back. I twisted angrily, striking out with my knife and kicking and biting until they let me go. I fell to the ground with a _thump_. Winded, it took me more than five seconds to jump back up and stop three of the swords that were heading straight for me.

I felt something warm and familiar brush against my back. Accompanied by this, was the scent of salt and everything I loved about the sea.

Percy and I, back to back, fighting together. As it should be.

There were three demigods left. One had a gash running down its arm and another had a nasty bruise forming on its shoulder. The third looked relatively well, but scared shitless.

"On three?" I asked, smirking.

"Nah," Percy said, raising riptide and, in turn, a bath tub full of water that swirled around him.

I darted for the bleeding guy. I caught his knife once, and he caught mine the next time. I jerked my elbow out and caught him under the chin. I winced when I felt his jaw dislocate, but didn't have much time for that.

Without looking over my shoulder, I blocked two of his short, easily foreseen, stabs delivered by the bruised guy. I swirled, and, with three soft and then one huge slice, he collapsed heavily on the ground, barely conscious.

I gasped for breath and fell to my knees.

"You ok?" Percy asked me, crouching next to me, Riptide in its pen form.

"Yeah," I managed, still gasping for air. "Just give me a minute." Percy turned to the forest around us and seemed on edge.

"We've gotta go soon," he warned. "Someone definitely saw us, or heard us at least. They're coming."

I nodded and stood, still woozy but holding my ground.

Percy grinned at me. "You're really awesome, you know that?"

I smirked, pushing my hair back under my helmet and smudging a tiny cut I'd gotten throughout the entire thing.

"I know."

And so Percy and I went further into the woods, we were walking into the foxes den, with only our wits and weapons to guard us.

**Wow, this was a huge chapter to write. Anyway, hopefully I'll get the boys up soon. Please, please, PLEASE review. Btw, if you live on the east coast or know anyone from the east coast, my heart goes out to you. It'll be over soon.**

**Love, MSxx**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I own none of these stories, all rights and characters goes to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan.**

**Sorry the chapter took a little while to come. I was working on my other percabeth fanfic, 'The Wedding of a Lifetime'. Check it out kool katz.**

**Also, I have no idea how to cast a message Patronus, so I kind of played it by ear. Coolio? Coolio.**

**Btw, I asked my Latin teacher what Patronus meant, in Latin, and she said protector. Cool hey? And oppugno means attack, and felix felicis means luckily lucky or something random like that. LATIN IS AWESOME.**

**Anywho, going to stop beating around the bush and give it to you. *ok, imagine this in a totally sexy British accent* LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HERE ARE YOUR MEN.**

* * *

Harry

I held my wand aloft, we were nearly there. Ginny was standing next to me, her hair in tangles and her face pinched in determination. There was grime on her cheek and a cut on her forehead. I sighed silently.

Merlin, she was gorgeous.

I ran my hand through my hair and brushed out some twigs and leaves and dirt that had congregated near my roots. How they even got there, I will never actually know.

Both our wand tips were glowing. Night was here now, and it took all of my self control not to constantly look over my shoulder. This was going to be a long night.

"We should turn these off," Ginny said in undertone. "We'll see more and just as easily by the light of the moon." I looked up at the aforementioned orb and frowned. It was still fainter than it should have been. Ginny was right, though. It would make more sense for someone to attack from behind, not from in front, which is where our wands were pointing.

"Righto," I said, and non-verbally, switched my wand off. The light dimmed with that, and then shut off completely when Ginny's want switched off. I blinked furiously, the light on the back of my eyelids breaking down and then my eyes adjusting to the world around me.

"Ready?" I asked Ginny, who was still looking around, disorientated.

"Ready," she confirmed, gripping my hand and pulling me forward. We were nearly there.

* * *

I looked at Ginny for the nod of acknowledgement. We were lying belly down in a ditch, our wands clenched tightly in our hands and our eyes darting all around, trying to quickly decipher the scene.

In front of us we could see Zeus' rock, illuminated in fire and surrounded by tough, mean looking demigods. This was assisted when we recognized the strong frame of Clarisse La Rue.

I swore when I saw her.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"Clarisse," I muttered angrily. "Leo's machine thing didn't pick it up."

More than this, we could see Leo, Nyssa and the other Hephaestus kids caught and secured in a circle at the bottom of the pile of rocks. Thankfully or not, there was no sign of the Hermes or Athena kids, although I could have sworn I saw something moving in the background.

"What are we going to do?" Ginny breathed. "There's no way we can take them all."

"We don't have to," I replied, equally quiet. "We just have to free the Hephaestus kids. Then we'll be more evenly matched."

"Do you reckon you can send a messenger Patronus?" Ginny asked.

"Without them noticing? Maybe," I said uneasily. I bit my lip and shuffled back a few feet. Standing up carefully, I motioned for Ginny to stay put, and, as an afterthought, rapped her quickly on the head. She gasped as the effects of the disillusionment spell took effect.

"Did you just crack an _egg _on me?" She demanded in a furious whisper.

I grinned, trying my very hardest not to laugh and draw attention to me. "Disillusionment charm. It'll last a few more minutes. Try and get closer."

Ginny was still grumbling as I left.

As soon as I was out of their seeing range, I whipped out my wand. I whispered the words and my stag materialized from the end, landing soundlessly on its feet.

I smiled at it. "Hey, Prongs." The Patronus, understandably, did not respond. I rose myself to my full height and channeled my message into it.

"_Find the fist, attack when we do, free the prisoners."_

The stag slipped off into the night. I hurried back to Ginny. She was standing a few feet away from the main defense of the much sought after land. I bit my lip when I saw how visible she was becoming. A few more moments and she'd be completely seeable. As of now, the only reason I could see her and others couldn't was because I knew what to look for. I flicked my wand and her hair tugged slightly. It wasn't much, but she turned around when she felt it. She saw me gesture from where I was standing, even if I had planned my position so as I would be virtually unseeable, and walked quickly towards me.

Clarisse straightened up. I could tell, and cold fear gripped me as I realized, that she knew something was amiss. She _knew _that something was about to happen. Panicking, I picked up a stick, transfigured it into a dagger.

"Oppugno," I murmured to it, and it flew out, the flat of it knocking her temple and rendering her unconscious, and useless.

I burst out of the trees. I could conjure another fire dragon, but the effort the first had coast me forced me to reconsider. Not looking where I was going, I ran into Ginny. The spell sparked and faltered and suddenly she was very much visible again.

And we were being surrounded by some of the biggest, meanest kids I had ever seen.

"Why did you do that?" Ginny hissed as we went back to back. "I could have done a sneak attack or something."

"I didn't mean to," I replied, spinning my wand nervously in my hand. "And besides, I like it better when I can see your face."

I assumed Ginny smirked. "I'll gush about that later," she promised.

"You knocked out Clarisse!" A rather beefy demigod snarled. "You'll pay for that, punk."

"Observant of you, really," I said, my head constantly swiveling as I tried to take all of them in. "Personally, I never would have noticed."

"Don't be _smart _with me!" the same guy shouted. I noticed that everyone else seemed to reciprocate the displeasure at being insulted. Whoops.

"Dumb!" Leo called from where he was sitting.

"We untie him last, agreed?" I whispered fiercely to Ginny. She nodded.

"On three?" She asked slyly.

"Nah," I said, my wand warming with anticipation. "NOW!"

I ducked as a sword sang over my head. I stunned at close range, the attacker flying back through the air and colliding with one of their team mates. I turned and disarmed, the sword flying to my hand. Suddenly I was twelve again, and facing the basilisk in the chamber of secrets. I flicked my wand up, hitting him with a freezing hex. I swung my wand around and threw him back through the trees. I swung the sword around and intercepted a blow from a strong swing. The tremors from the force tickled down my arm.

Ginny and my spells shone even more brightly in the little light. The rest of the night was illuminated by the torches that lay around the outside of our fighting zone. The sky above twinkle and winked, the moon sent down its silvery light.

"FOR HERMES!" Yells erupted from all around us, people bolted from the trees and joined the fray.

"FOR ATHENA!" More yells, this time concentrated from the opposite side. The kids merged and became a force to be reckoned with. I was relieved. I was almost ready to give up. Some of the Athena kids ran over and untied the Hephaestus ones.

Leo ran near me, grinning from ear to ear. "You alright, Leo?" I asked him. "What happened?"

I sent out a stunning curse and pushed up a shield between me and a particularly angry looking camper. The shield disappeared almost immediately, but it had done it's work. The Ares demigod lay unconscious on the ground.

"We split up, in the end," he said, sending out fire and whipping around his hammer. "Hephaestus kids aren't exactly known for their subtlety."

"Enough said," I remarked, dodging underneath a spear. I picked it up, whipped my wand and sent it back in the direction it had come from.

"You ok, Gin?" I asked as I stunned the girl and sent the sword backwards to clip a demigod on the head.

"Fine!" She replied shrilly, distracted. I set my mouth, jumped out in front of her, disarmed one, stunned another, sent the disarmed one to sleep and then shot the sword I acquired when I disarmed at another's head.

The fight continued for another few minutes. It was intense and loud and frightening. People everywhere, whether they were falling or flying or only just surviving, they were making some sort of noise. It pressed on my eardrums and fought with my sanity. It crumpled defenses I might have had without it and put up other ones that were almost just as important.

It struck me then, that the battle between the gods, is a family feud even larger than the Black's.

The last defender fell to the ground, knocked over by a fierce eyed daughter of Athena. I looked around, chest heaving and heart thumping. The ones that had fallen were being attended to.

Leo was talking with Malcolm, Annabeth's brother, when I approached. "…The Apollo campers are probably at their flag. They're the main defenders and there are a lot of them. Jason would want them to be all together. He really wouldn't have seen Zeus's fist as that big of a deal."

"Are we _sure _that your machine works?" Malcolm asked, frowning.

"Yeah, it didn't tell you that Clarisse was here," I joined in. "I nearly had a heart attack when I saw her."

Now Leo looked sheepish. I narrowed my eyes.

"What did you do?" Malcolm asked, just as suspiciously as I felt.

"Uh," Leo said, coughing and looking ashamedly at his shoes. "I might of… um, _neglected _that piece of information."

"May I ask why?" I asked, nearly through clenched teeth.

"Because nobody would have fought if they thought she was here!" Leo said defensively.

"You'd prefer for them to think you made a mistake?" Malcolm asked, perplexed.

I nodded, understanding. "Clever, really. I doubt I would have fought all that strongly if I thought she was just going to stop me as soon as I arrived at Zeus' Fist."

Leo smiled at me appreciatively and I bid both of them goodbye. I hurried over to where Ginny was talking with a daughter of both Hephaestus and Athena. I recognized Nyssa from Hephaestus and then the fiery eyed girl who had taken down the last attacker.

"Ginny?" I asked her. She turned around and smiled.

"Hey Harry," she said brightly, as if she hadn't accumulated a couple of new cuts over the course of the past half hour. "This is Nyssa and Charlotte—"

"Charlie," the Athena girl said quickly, reminding me of Bobby.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I think that demigods have a thing about their given names. Percy hates being called Perseus, Charlie here hates being called Charlotte, and I think we can all remember the Bobby debarkle of '12."

I laughed and ran my hand through my hair. "Except for Annabeth, she'd the opposite."

Then Ginny's eyes widened. She grabbed me by the hand and began to lead me off. "We completely forgot!" She said, as I rose my eyebrows, exasperated, at Charlie and Nyssa and waved them a farewell. "We were supposed to meet Percy and Annabeth!"

I turned around when the forgotten promise dawned on me. I stopped and frowned. "Aren't we supposed to help them with their defenses?"

"They'll be fine!" She said hastily, continuing to tow me along. "We just need. To. Go. Now!"

And so, sighing and looking apologetically over my shoulder at a thoroughly annoyed Leo, I followed her.

Jace

Ok, I wasn't going to lie to you. I was pissed off. And patronized, and stuck in _defense _of all places. Wouldn't it have made more sense for Harry and Ginny to stay back here? They had _long distance weapons_. _That's what you use for defense._

I was starting to worry about Percy's sanity.

"You bored?" Clary asked, while the demigods milled around us, twiddling with bows and spears and swords and keeping quiet.

"Extremely," I answered shortly. It was unfair to take my annoyance out on anyone (an argument could be made for Percy) but I was in no fair state of mind.

"Defense is more important than attack," Clary lectured. "What would you prefer? Fighting for some important ground or protecting the most important piece in the game?"

"I'm going to use a chess reference now," I warned her.

Clary sighed. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Why use a queen to guard the king?"

Clary looked at me oddly. "You _do _have an oddly high opinion of yourself. Simon was right."

I waved my hand. "Simon is never right."

"We're not queens," Clary told me. "We're, well, we're more like knights. We have unique moves and have skills no one else has. I normally use them to guard my king."

"You normally lose," I pointed out.

Clary rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Simon normally uses his knights to guard his king, and he wins."

"That's because he only ever plays against you."

"He won against you that time," Clary remembered. "You were thrashed."

"We promised to never bring that up again," I snapped. "And I let him win."

Clary patted my arm. "No one believes that."

"Well, maybe—"

"Jace? Clary?" A frantic voice announced from below us. "They're coming, they're nearly here."

"Who?" I asked, momentarily dropping the 'Simon is simply a better chess player than you' debate.

"Oh gods, this is bad." The demigod, a younger boy with tousled brown hair, said nervously. "Jason, Piper, some of the Hecate cabin. They're nearly through the Hephaestus defenses. They'll be here soon."

"Tell the Hephaestus cabins to fall back," I ordered. "We need to guard the flag. Tell the Hermes to as well. Clary and I will go out and try to slow them down. Do not let them get anywhere near it."

"But the Hecate cabin—"

"Will have been taken out early. They're main targets, got it, Clary?" She nodded and pulled on her helmet, picked a seraph blade from her belt and stared fiercely into the distance. God, she was beautiful.

"Do you understand?" I demanded briskly. The boy nodded and ran off. Some of the Athena campers had stayed behind, orders of their cabin leader apparently. Even without the telltale blonde hair and grey eyes, I could tell he was Annabeth's brother.

Clary and I walked swiftly through the forest. Demigods from Hephaestus, Hermes and Athena pushed past us, congregating at the bottom of the flag pole. The trees burst out from the darkness. Without the marks (the steeles were _still _not working) I felt horribly exposed. But Clary and I had angel blood, we were _awesome_.

Cracking of twigs and heavy breathing stopped me in my tracks. Just ahead, it seemed, was a demigod force, big enough to take all of us, small enough to remain relatively unseen throughout the forest. I looked at Clary and pointed at the trees. She nodded and found one just as I did. I climbed up quickly, the bark was rough on my hands and scraped my knees. I found a branch overhanging the way they would walk through and waited.

The first soldiers came through, their swords out and face unrecognizable in the dark. I looked across at Clary just as she looked at me. We nodded, and fell onto them.

Their bodies collapsed underneath us. I landed on two and Clary on a third. The impact knocked them unconscious and left their breathing labored. We broke their ribs.

We jumped up, brandishing weapons and charged at the shocked demigods. Jason, the blonde son of Jupiter, charge through us. I swore inwardly but let him go, I was needed here. I couldn't well let Clary fight all of these on her own.

Clary kicked up and knocked out Piper, and I started to attack, refusing entrance for everyone, cutting and shoving and blocking and hitting. Swords pierced my skin, but only barely. I caught a sword with my blade just as I kicked another with my foot. I punched the guy and he fell, heavily to the floor. Another obstacle.

The forest was loud with activity. As of yet, 10 demigods or so had made it through, of the 50 that I guessed were originally there.

We were being pushed back. My heart leapt painfully in my chest when a sword cut Clary's arm. I jumped in front of her, cut the attacker down and allowed her time to rediscover her bearings. Blood was pooling through my shirt. I really regretted denying Percy's offer of a breast plate.

I jabbed up with my sword, but I fell, tripped, onto the floor. The tripper began to swipe down, I was powerless to stop it. Everything was moving so fast.

A shock of black hair and a flash of red got in its way. I watched as Harry moved in front of me, and Ginny with Clary, fighting back the swarms of angry demigods.

"You're supposed to be with Annabeth and Percy!" I yelled, disarming and knocking over two demigods as I spoke.

"And you're supposed to be guarding the flag!" Harry yelled, swishing his wand and creating a wall of flames. We were allowed a few moments of reprieve.

"We saw them, the Hecate cabin," Harry explained, keeping his eye on the said demigods as they attempted to control the fire. "We knew that's where we were needed most." Clary and Ginny arrived, covered in dirt and small amounts of blood, but otherwise fine.

"We haven't done anything right today," Ginny said, loud enough to defeat the general noise coming from everywhere. "We didn't even help them set up defenses."

"I'm worried about Percy and Annabeth," Clary voiced. "We've seen maybe half of their army. This camp is huge. We have to help them."

"Ok, we chase Annabeth and Percy after we've defeated all of these guys?" I asked, turning as the fire began to dim down.

"Sounds like a plan," Ginny stated, pointing her wand, her mouth thing with determination.

"We are supposed to be a team, after all," I said, just as the fight began again.

I ducked and hit up, knocking into a camper and throwing her back into her comrades. I cut through them, knocking under chins and delivering shallow but painful cuts. The dead-to-the-world bodies soon began to pile up around us. I bit my lip when I saw the success of Ginny, Clary and Harry.

It was obvious, I was needed elsewhere.

With a quick, unanswered shout of farewell, I raced back to the flag, witnessing a spectacular fight. The few that we'd let through had doubled, maybe even tripled in size.

I hit myself in the head. Of _course _they weren't all going to come from one side. I'm an _idiot_.

We were losing, but only just. The main unbalancing act was Jason, whirring through our ranks, fighting at least 5 demigods at a time. I grinned, charging at him. I was going to balance this out.

I pushed past demigods, friendly and hostile alike, and barreled into Jason, flying through the air, pushing him along with me.

We tumbled down through the undergrowth. He snarled and pushed me off. I jumped back and caught his sword, pushing against his, and then kicking him in the stomach. He fell back, winded, I charged forward, determined. He swung his sword up, and I realized what he was doing just in time.I jumped up and away when the lightening surged down from the sky. The static forced my hair to stand up on end and the sudden light blinded me.

"Seriously?" I asked. "I've been electrocuted enough recently!"

"It wouldn't have killed you," Jason said, shrugging.

We clashed swords driving each other back.

"Well I'm sure you can understand," I threw three concise, strong hits, "My displeasure," I blocked one of his and swung at him wildly, only for him to take advantage of my open chest. I span and blocked again. "At being struck by lightning." We both fought furiously. It was open and on, the sword and the knife scraping against one another, a fountain of sparks raining down.

_If only I had marks, _I thought glumly. _There's no way I'd be beaten._ We fought, it went on. Sweat dripped from my brow and my hair was soon drenched. Jason was not faring much better.

"Clary knocked out Piper," I said suddenly, the surprise and indignation mixing on his face. A distraction.

I fell on top of him, planting my foot on his sword hand and quickly, mercilessly, brought the blunt of my blade down onto the side of his head. His eyes glazed and closed. Jason Grace was out of the equation.

Cheers erupted from all around me, accompanied by moans. I looked around, we had been surrounded, in that time that we had been distracted.

The others went down with very little fight. Most of them were captured, and the ones that resisted were quickly cut down.

"Are we going?" Clary asked, determinedly, as Ginny, Harry, her and I grouped together after the fight.

"Quickly," Harry said, beginning to leave, we all walked with him. "There's no way they can do this on their own."

"Right you are, mister England," I said, catching up to him.

"Mister England?" Ginny asked, eyebrows raised.

I shrugged. "It has a certain ring to it." Clary just rolled her eyes.

Percy

Annabeth and I both showed signs of giving up. It might have been the cut that decorated Annabeth's cheek, or my strained wrist, or the other nicks that covered the rest of our bodies, but we were definitely picking up the mileage.

"Are we nearly there?" I asked her, trying to sound my least whiny.

"We were attacked twice in ten minutes," Annabeth answered. Then, when noting my silence, added, "Yes."

Sometimes Annabeth forgets that not everyone is a genius.

I looked around warily. I could tell, any minute they would attack, we'd be surrounded again. We were running out of huff, soon we would need back up. Back up that, thanks to the mysterious disappearance of Harry and Ginny, was probably never going to come.

"Percy! Annabeth!" A familiar voice, a friendly voice. A voice that belonged to a certain black-haired wizard with a lightning scar on his forehead. I turned to Annabeth in wonder. She looked equally surprised.

"Harry?" I asked, no longer bothered with keeping quiet.

"And Jace!" Said person said indignantly.

"Jace, please stop being inconsistent in your annoyance," Clary said.

"Where are you?" Annabeth asked, suspiciously. The voices seemed to come from where we had come from, except the darkness kept them from our sight.

"Here!" Ginny said, her wand tip lighting up, all of them suddenly visible. "Why didn't we do that before?"

"Because we were going for an air of mystery?" Jace guessed, he looked disheveled and had cuts all over his chest. I smirked. That's teach him for not wearing proper armour.

"Ok, what _is _it with you and 'an air of mystery?' Clary demanded.

"Mystery is attractive."

"Well, you're definitely not mysterious then."

"How did you find us?" I asked them.

Ginny and Harry raised their hands. "We have magic."

"Oh, yeah," I said, feeling dumb.

"Where did you guys go?" Annabeth asked.

Ginny looked at Harry for assuredness. "Well, we…" They related their tedious story rather quickly. Jace defeating Jason, Harry and Ginny arriving just in the nick of time, and Clary taking out Piper. As you can see, it wasn't overly ordered. They basically spurted out everything they remembered.

"Well, you were right about us needing help," I said. "We're exhausted."

"How many do you think are left?" Harry asked.

"Maybe, from what you've said and what we know, a third or so of their team," Percy guessed.

"Yay," Jace said dryly. Then he noticed everyone watching him and repeated it in a much more upbeat manner.

"Now you just sound patronizing," Ginny told him.

"Whatever, Missus England," he said back. I raised my eyebrow in question to Harry and he rolled his eyes in response.

"So, team, ready to win this thing?" Annabeth asked.

"Totally," Clary said, determinedly.

"I'm with the red head," Jace said.

"Which red head?" Ginny asked, her question was not answered.

"Excellent, we'll be like the Avengers, except younger, and none of us are angry enough to turn into a hulk," Jace told us, when we began to move.

"An argument can be made for Percy," Annabeth said. "His dad gets pretty pissed."

"And Clary," Jace said. "She slapped me for saving her life." The group turned to look at Clary.

She blushed. "It was nothing big."

"Oh, yes, 'nothing big'. That's why I cried myself to sleep that night," Jace said sarcastically.

"Nice try, Jonathon," Clary said lightly, smirking at her boyfriend. "The only time you cried was when you realized that the man at the newsagents didn't know your name."

Jace looked confused. "He did know my name."

"No, he didn't," Clary insisted.

"Uh, yeah, he did."

"No, he didn't."

"Yes."

Clary, annoyed. Slapped him in the arm. He brandished it to everyone, as if proof that Clary had issues.

"Ok, its official," I said. "Clary, you're our Hulk."

"Bags on being Hawkeye!" Harry said, loudly.

"I'm totally going to be Black Widow, one, because she's awesome, and two, because we both have red hair" Ginny said. "Harry took me to see the movie. He says I need to immerse myself in current trends." Harry verified this.

"I'll be Captain America," I said. "Annabeth's Tony Stark, because she's smart."

"Meh, figures," Annabeth said, shrugging. They were deeper into enemy territory now. The attempt at keeping the conversation light was doing them good. I could feel the comfort and happiness restoring my health.

"So, I guess that leaves me with Thor?" Jace asked. He looked pleased. "Excellent, puny mortals, I'm a god."

"I think you may be taking this too seriously," I told him.

"I think we all need to shut up and try to be inconspicuous, as we are trying to be stealthy," Annabeth said.

"We are?" Jace asked in wonder.

"Well, you wouldn't know it," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes.

Then I stopped in my tracks. "Ginny," I said hurriedly. "Shine your wand up, back, yep, there." Realization dawned quickly when I saw the fabric of the flag absorb the light.

I turned around and saw understanding hit each of my friends faces.

"Di Immortales," Annabeth said, quietly. "I knew we should have been quiet."

And then all hell broke loose.

**Ok, So I may have lied. Capture the flag will continue and most likely conclude next chapter. I actually had to stop, or this chapter would have gone on forever.**

**See you around, Meggie**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: All rights and characters go to Rick Riordan, Cassandra Clare and JK Rowling**

**Ok, special peeps. I'm going to tell it like it is. So, basically, I originally intended 14 chapters for this. Yeah, I know. Isn't it hilarious? Ah, the days I was young and nieve. Seriously guys, I'm not even sure I'm halfway through yet. Maybe nearly… Ugh, I know what I'm going to be doing this summer.**

**Also, a warning that a few T reference things may come up in this. Gorey stuff.**

**Ok, so, have fun with this chapter.**

**Quintus domum cuccurit territus et omnia patri narravit.**

**Cookies if you can translate that! **

**Quick Query, what rating would use of the F-bomb require? M or T? **

Clary

And all at once, we were outnumbered and fighting. I don't have to explain to you how much I wished I was the hulk right about then.

Annabeth was fighting with two knives, one her usual bronze one and another an unfamiliar silver one. I suppose she picked it up off some of the poor people that thought they could best her.

Percy was fighting up a storm (literally, there was a tornado swirling around his body) and knocking people over everywhere. His eyes were lit up in determination and the quick agility of his movements took my breath away.

Harry and Ginny were standing back to back, surrounded but holding there own. Flashes of different colours shot out from the tips of their wands. They apparated and disapparated together, causing general confusion and mayhem for their pursuers.

Jace was fast and ruthless. He's knocked out ten of the enemy before we'd had a chance to register what was going on.

Me, well, I was sporting a shield I'd taken off one of Jace's first victims, a seraph blade and fighting as hard as I could.

I stepped forward and bowled into him, my shield denting his armour and my blade out, nicking his neck and then, distracted, I pushed him to the ground, doing some complicated maneuver I'd never be able to remember and knocking him cold.

It was crowded and frustrating and hot and dark and loud and painful. All my sense were being assaulted, all of my orders overridden by some basic, primary instinct, and I was moving fast and lightly. In this state, one or two demigods would be laughably easy.

Unluckily for me, there were closer to 70, and all of them were particularly eager to take out at least one.

Meaning the weakest link.

Meaning me.

I gritted my teeth and flew haltingly through the demigods. I would _not _let them think that. Not anymore. That was _it_.

I was a _Shadowhunter_. I would win this.

So I fought and kicked and screamed, wordlessly and war like. I cut gashes in arms and whipped my shield to the back of people's heads. Blood streamed onto the ground. I saw someone slip. It was sickening, it was thrilling.

Because there was no _way _I was going to let us loose this.

I sliced my knife across the unprotected arm of the female demigod across from me. She clutched it and screamed. Blood spurted from her wound, a pounding, angry red. Dirt was on her face and her eyes were wide with pain. Swallowing my self disgust, I brought my shield around and hit the side of her head. She crumpled to a heap and lay, unmoving. I jumped over her.

I glanced back quickly, after fighting off two strong, older boys, and saw a bandage wrapped around her arm and a demigod near her, kneeling on the ground and forcing ambrosia into her mouth.

The fight went for a while. The few that we were tired quickly and easily, while they were always fresh and energized and new. But they hadn't caught their battle frenzy yet, they hadn't been forced into the adrenaline pumping, utterly exhilarating twirl of survival yet.

We were done when the final demigod, a strong male who'd managed to keep both (admittedly tired) Percy and Jace off him, before, in a last ditch effort, Percy swung messily at his head and he crumpled to the earth.

We all stood still for a second. "I cannot believe that worked," I said.

Percy shook his head, his exhaustion an acceptable reason for his lack of answer.

Even as we walked nervously towards the flag, my ruthlessness swam back, my arms grew tired and the shield and blade heavy. I felt sick. The blood that wet some of the leaves reflected off the light given by Harry and Ginny, making for a grotesque sight.

I sidled up to Jace and held his hand. He squeezed back protectively.

"So…" My voice trailed through the night. "We just take the flag to the other side?"

"Yep," Annabeth said, she was leaning on Percy as she tied a ripped piece of clothing around a cut on her shin.

"So, we just grab it?" Ginny asked, looking at the flag as if it were the holy grail.

"No, it flies itself," Percy deadpanned.

"I'll take it," Harry offered.

"No, no, it's quite alright," Jace said. "I'll take it."

"Um, who defeated the Titans?" Percy asked.

"Percy, you cannot bring that up every time you want your way," Annabeth reprimanded, rolling her eyes. "And anyway, I should, I got the most injured."

"I should," Ginny argued. "I was totally kickass awesome."

They bickered and fought while I looked at it carefully. I didn't particularily _want _to carry it back to our section, but it obviously wasn't being properly handled. No matter how this ended, people were going to be mad. So, in order to save the most newly formed friendships as possible, I walked forward.

"Everyone needs to shut up!" I called pulling it out of the ground and setting it over my shoulder. "I'm carrying it!"

"What?" Jace asked.

"I'll second that with a 'pardon,'" Annabeth said, raising her eyebrows.

Percy nodded. He seemed to be the least fussed. "Much politer than 'what', Annabeth. You should be proud."

I rolled my eyes and walked nearer to them. "Ok, let me tell it like it is. Everyone wants to carry the flag, right?"

Harry nodded. "Right."

"Speak for yourself," Ginny said.

"Stop contradicting yourself," I berated her. She kept her mouth closed. I continued. "So we are all going to argue when someone finally takes it, right?" More nods. "So, I thought to get it over and done with."

There was a silence. "Is that really hoe your thought process works?" Annabeth asked.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't."

"In most languages, that means yes," Percy said.

"In what language doesn't it mean yes?" Jace asked.

"Latin," Percy said confidently.

"No," Jace said. His Latin fluency was probably insulted. "Not at all actually."

"Everything has like, five meanings in Latin," Percy said.

Jace really didn't have much to say to that.

And I marched passed them and led us through the enemy camp and back to ours.

Ginny

The crowd erupted into cheers when we got back. Chiron stood with them, casting a smile in our direction and a glance of worry at our injuries.

"Congratulations!" He called out, his voice amplified, filling the air. "The winners!" The demigods erupted again. An amazing amount of noise for such a small group of people. Their enthusiasm was contagious. I couldn't drop the smile that hugged my face. And, when quickly inspecting Clary, Jace, Harry, Percy and Annabeth, I saw that they also faced that dilemma.

"Gods, we are so awesome," Annabeth said.

"Yes," Percy agreed. "Yes we are."

"We shall forever be known as the 'Awesome-ers'," Jace philosophized.

"I think you may be wrong," Clary said.

"Nah, can't you see it? The stories around campfires, the ballads—"

"No one sings ballads anymore, genius," I said.

"We can bring them back," Jace pointed out.

"Maybe," Harry considered. "One day."

"I'm a super trend setter," I said. "I will bring Ballads back from the land of the dead!"

"I'm sorry, what are you going to be doing with the land of the dead?" A voice asked. We turned and saw Nico.

"Where _were _you!" Annabeth demanded, briskly marching up and hugging him. "Percy has been worried sick!"

"No I haven't!" Percy denied furiously, even though his cheeks were starting to colour red.

"And how did you coincidently step out just as I mentioned, 'The Land of the Dead?'" I demanded suspiciously.

Nico shrugged. "I may or may not have been waiting for the opportune moment to step out."

"Well, you certainly found a good one," I allowed.

"Yes I did," Nico said proudly. He was in a good mood, I wonder what had happened.

"What happened?" Percy asked, squinting at Nico. In the dark, he was almost impossible to see.

"I…" He took a deep breath. "I found out who Bianca came back as."

There was a deathly silence. Percy and Annabeth's faces turned a stony white.

"Nico," Annabeth said tentatively. "You know… You know she won't… You realise she won't recognize you? Right?"

Nico turned stubborn. "She will. I'm her brother. She'll remember me."

"No, Nico," Percy was sad, he was serious. "No, she won't."

"She _will_," Nico insisted. "You don't understand _anything_."

Annabeth looked like she was about to cry. "Nico, please, you're just setting yourself up for—"

"Failure?" He guessed. He laughed coldly. "Could I sink any lower than this?"

"Yes," her voice was quiet. "I think you could. I think you could sink a lot lower."

"Please, dude," Percy said. "Forget it."

"If Annabeth died, wouldn't you give everything to see her again?" Nico demanded. I could see shadows swirling around him. He was preparing to travel. "In any shape or form?"

Neither Annabeth nor Percy had a thing to say to that.

And, just like that, the prince of the underworld, the Ghost King, drifted through the shadows and to his sister.

And, just like that, coldness crept up through the warmth from winning and chills ran down my arms and legs. Goose bumps poked up and I shivered, even though the night was still warm.

And, just like that, the cheering and chanting and celebration from the other demigods drifted into a meaningless blur. I was disconnected. I looked at the faces of the others.

And, just like that, we lost our main mode of transport.

* * *

"Hogwarts?" I suggested, early the next morning. "Please?"

The others looked at me. None of them had slept. Bags had accumulated under their eyes and the whites were bloodshot. Lips had lost colour and hair had become tangled and dry. We were all a mess. We were all worried about Nico's dilemma.

"Uh, well, where else could we go?" Percy asked.

"We could go to Alicante," Clary suggested.

Jace stuck his hand up. "No we couldn't. Angel blood only. Sorry."

"Damn," Annabeth said quietly. I suppose, what with the architecture Clary had promised in Alicante, Annabeth had wanted to go. I inwardly promised to one day, take her to Venice or back to Rome. Maybe this time she could see the sights rather than fall to Tartarus.

"So, Hogwarts?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Hogwarts it is," Clary confirmed.

"Excellent," I said, less happily than the situation should have warranted.

"That was easily decided," Chiron said. "I am impressed."

"You should be," Jace said, leaning back on his chair. "It's not everyday people unanimously decide to go to a magical castle. You must be honored, Chiron."

Chiron's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Quite."

"Mum and Dad'll still be there," I said, to no one in particular.

"And your brothers," Harry said. Fred's death. Everything. It hit me in a blur of raging emotions. I blinked, surprised and frustrated and confused and exhausted and depressed and dying all at once. Harry squeezed my hand under the table.

I squeezed back.

"Will we be able to see Hogwarts?" Annabeth asked.

"Probably," I said. "You call it Mist and we call it enchantments. From what I can tell, they seem to be the same thing."

"Don't forget glamours," Jace said, still leaning back in his chair.

I sighed, conceding his point. "And glamours."

"You'll get to meet Hermione, Annabeth," Harry said, nodding at her. "You two are hilariously similar."

"So Hermione's hot, smart and good with a knife?" Percy asked.

Harry and I looked at him.

"No? Too far? Right then."

"Well," Annabeth said. "I was flattered."

"Anyone would be flattered by that," Clary pointed out.

"True."

"Ladies, Gentlemen," Chiron said over us. And then, as an afterthought, "And Jace." Jace, to his credit, didn't look insulted at all. "The world is spinning in a super fast motion. Time is slipping away from us. We must hasten our departure. Pegasi, I believe, will be a far more faster ride than anything else I could offer you."

Nico's absence and aim hung over us like a deathly mist.

Percy stood up. "That's fine, Chiron. Come on, guys. I'll take you to the stables."

And in more or less of single file, we trekked out of the room, leaving a worried Chiron and a broken chair.

Jace had leant back just that tiny bit too far.

**DID YOU LIKE IT? I HOPE YOU DID. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I'M SHOUTING so I'm going to stop. Nico? Hey. What a guy. Hope he doesn't do something stupid.**

**Anywho, thanks for the awesome reviews, to all the people who told me to update, this is for you. To all the people who reviewed, I'm going to sing you a song, "Sir can you please hold my coat, cause my great great great great grandfathers a goat!"**

**Pretty damn fantastic, hey?**

**Review! *loveheart* (not actually going to do the and the three cause it never works :( but oh well… This'll do)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. All rights, characters and previous story lines go to Cassandra Clare, JK Rowling and Rick Riordan**

**YAY OMG 20 CHAPTERA WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHOOOOOO! AND AS I AM AWESOME AND DECIDE TO DO THINGS IN CELEBRATION, HERE'S AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER AND THE INTRODUCTION OF OUR FAVOURITE HOWARTIANS! WHOOOOO!**

**Just a reminder that this is the book-verse, so Luna's with Rolf Scamander and Neville's with Hannah Abbott.**

**I think that my A/N's are getting a little long… **

Annabeth

Thalia was waiting for us under her tree. She seemed uncomfortable, looking at her barky fortress from the outside rather than in.

"Where were you last night?" Percy demanded. "Could've used your help, Pinecone face."

"I was busy," Thalia snapped. She seemed a little uptight. "You know, my life doesn't revolve around this stupid little quest."

"It's not stupid," Ginny said.

"Nor little," said Jace.

"And eventually, your life might _have _to revolve around it," I said.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"We have to go to the stables," I told her. "Coming?"

Thalia paled. "We're… we're going in the air?"

"Unless you want to walk to England," Percy said.

"Scotland," Harry corrected. "Hogwarts is in Scotland."

"Really?" Clary asked.

"Truly," Ginny said.

"Ok," Percy said. "Unless you want to walk to _Scotland_."

I twitched my lips. Thalia's fear of heights wasn't something I'd figured into all of this. Percy looked thoughtful.

"I could take her on some hippocampi," he suggested.

"How would you get over the land?" I asked.

"Hitchhike?" Thalia asked. She seemed to be getting into the idea.

I shook my head. "It'll take too long."

Thalia's face visibly fell.

"You can ride with me," Percy suggested. She didn't look much more cheerful.

* * *

Percy was sitting on Blackjack, stroking his mane and grinning down at us as we attempted to get on. I was normally good with Pegasus riding, but I'd usually taken the smaller mares. Percy had requested for me a huge chestnut stallion.

"It's not that hard, Annabeth," he taunted.

I gritted my teeth and ignored him. Finally, with one huge pull, I managed to get onto the Pegasus.

I looked around the room. Thalia was nervously attempting to mount a blotchy white mare that was flicking its tail impatiently. Clary, just as I watched, squirmed onto a small brown mare with a white stripe decorating the front of its face. Next to her, Jace was resting arrogantly on the back of a handsome roan. The horse flicked its tail every now and again, and flicked it's wings, desperate to be off. Harry had gotten a Pegasus that was almost as black as blackjack. He had taken off his glasses and replaced them with a pair of goggles. I smiled. It looked like he had borrowed them from Leo. Ginny had a perky young one that was bright brown. Her hair clashed horribly with it.

"Alright, you're Roger, right?" I asked my Pegasus nervously. It snorted in agreement.

"He said yes," Percy called across the room.

"Yes, thank you, I figured that," I said dryly.

"Now he's laughing," Percy informed me.

"If you do this the whole time I will cut your tongue out," I told him seriously.

Percy grinned. "He's laughing harder." I rolled my eyes and looked down at Roger. He seemed normal to me.

"Alright, everyone up?" Percy called to the group. There was a neigh and Percy shot an exasperated look at the offending party, which was, in this case, Ginny's Pegasus, whom I looked at with Jealousy. Jeffery had always been a favorite of mine. "Ok, so, Pegasus riding is easy. Tell them where you want them to go, and they'll take you there."

"Uh, coming from you," Ginny shot, looking nervous. "You're the bloody son of Poseidon!"

"There are truth to the words you speak," Percy said, smiling. "Just relax. They're all going to follow me anyway." I rolled my eyes.

"Ready?" Percy asked loudly. And there was a succession of nods and agreements, and Percy cantered out of the door. I lightly kicked Roger's flank and he hurried after him.

We burst out into sunlight. Percy was already in the air, the flapping of Blackjacks wings deafening.

"Just try not to fall off!" He yelled over the noise. Percy flew off higher and almost in unison, the Pegasi leapt off the ground.

We spiraled through the air. Air flew steadily around my face, drying my eyes and pushing my hair back. Next to me Roger was flapping heavily, his muscles coiling and releasing in massive waves. Camp became smaller and smaller. The Athena cabin shrunk quickly from the size of a pea to a speck. My hair fell out of its messy ponytail and my hair tie fell to the earth.

Next to me, Thalia was screaming her head off.

"LET ME DOWN OH MY GODS! SLOW DOWN AGGGHHHHHHH! SLOW DOWN! PUT ME DOWN! AGHHHHHHHH!"

"Thalia it's easier to fall off when there's less momentum!" I shouted as loudly as I could. She didn't hear me.

"HELP!"

"Thalia! You're scaring your Pegasus!" It was true, her ride was becoming spooked. It's eyes were rolling around and it was slowing down.

The shock of her imminent death shocked Thalia into recapturing her sanity. She fell forward and buried her head in the mares mane. I smiled and shook my head. The Pegasus slowly began to recover.

The ocean was streaming out in front of us. Waves looked like ripples. We passed a boat so quickly, my eyes hadn't the chance to see what colour it was. Clouds were the only thing that moved at a slow pace, but even then it was faster than anything I was used to. The sun was hanging around 10:00, the horizon was endless and exciting, my hair was tangling and untangling at an unbelievable rate, and I was riding a flying horse.

This was fantastic.

* * *

About halfway through the day, after the hours of the constant stream, we decided to take a break. Everyone's hair was in disarray. Harry's hair was even messier than normal. Ginny looked like the sun. Clary had red in her eyes and Jace seemed to be mimicking a star. Only Percy seemed to have improved on the ride, his hair was windswept and casual.

Humph. Typical.

Percy, concentrating tightly, hardened and then solidified the piece of water we were standing on. It was roughly a square, with softer edges and miscalculated angles. The Pegasi landed gracefully, their hooves clomping noisily on the ground. Percy came down last. He looked pale but strong. Hopefully he could last at least ten more minutes.

"This is awful," Thalia groaned, hugging her legs and placing her forehead on her knees. "I don't think I'm going to recover from this."

"Thalia, shut up," I told her.

"Fine," she said sulkily. Although she did stand up and move to where all of us were standing.

Our little piece of water was totally still, a hardened, semi transparent float. Around us the waves rolled right past, occasionally breaking and whiting with the wind, most times floating by. The Pegasi had taken over one half of the square, hastily nibbling on apples, sugar cubes and doughnuts. We gathered at the other side, huddling like penguins against the wind.

"Well," Jace said. "That was certainly an experience.

"Yes," Clary agreed. "Yes, it was that."

"It was also terrifying," Thalia said, aiming for casual but ending up hysterical.

"We heard," Harry said dryly.

"Wow, you are all really heavy," Percy said. His breathing was beginning to slightly labour. I estimated 12 minutes.

"Alright, 10 minute break," I told them. I handed out some sandwiches and doughnuts. They accepted them gratefully, tearing them apart with relish.

"I'm going to press for 6," Percy said.

"No."

"Alright, fine," Percy said, rolling his eyes. "Then I'm going for a swim."

"Have a nice time!" I called as he ran to the edge. He mock saluted and leapt in.

The square shook slightly, but the water held. He must have lapsed in concentration.

"He's going to make us late," Ginny commented.

"Do we have an arrival time?" Harry asked her.

"No, but what does my mother always say?"

"Don't let me see you do that again?" Harry guessed.

Ginny laughed. "You have been spending far too much time around Ron." I smiled at their excitement. They were going back to their world. They were going home.

Jace and Clary had picked up some useless conversation about the price of Ugg Boots in inner-city New York rather than Brooklyn. Harry and Ginny were laughing about something called a 'hagrid' and I was feeling quite on my own.

That was, of course, until Percy burst out of the water, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"That was _epic_," He said triumphantly.

"Did you eat your doughnut under water?" Jace asked skeptically.

"Yes."

"Good on you, Percy," Ginny said. "For not falling for his ridiculous mind games."

"What?" Jace asked.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "You know what I mean."

We all looked at her. She seemed to maybe believe that she may have misread the conversation. But, in spectacular Ginny-mode, she flipped her hair, stuck her nose in the air and ignored our sniggering.

"You all suck," she announced.

"Not all of us," Harry said. "I'm bloody brilliant."

"Uh, no, that would be me," Percy interjected.

"We're all wrong," Jace said. "It's me."

I rolled my eyes. I caught Clary's expression and grinned. It very nearly mirrored mine.

"We all need to accept the fact, that I came back from the _dead_," Harry pointed out.

"Uh, excuse me, so did I!" Jace said indignantly.

"Only because of me," Clary said, sounding annoyed.

Jace turned, smiling. "A fact that I am very thankful for."

"You're all wrong," Thalia said. "I'm the best. I'm immortal."

"I AM IMMORTAL IN THE MEMORIES OF MEN," Percy said.

"No you aren't." I said. "About two mortals know what you did."

Percy scowled. "Well that's utterly depressing."

"Hey, we all have to go through it," Jace said. "Harry saved the world, you saved the world, I _helped _to save the world."

"Well, at least there are people alive to try and remember in the first place," I put in, interrupting their dark and prideful trains of thought.

"I think we all need to calm down," Ginny said robotically, as if that particular phrase had been etched into her brain.

"Why?" Percy asked. "We're not angry."

"You're sad, depressed," Ginny pointed out. "You're probably going to go all 'tortured hero' on us."

"Am not."

"Please Percy," I said, rolling my eyes. "It's in a boys nature. You sulk around for days. You overreact over everything when it comes to feelings."

"This is probably because they don't talk about them enough," Clary said seriously.

Ginny grinned. "I think you're right."

I turned to the guys, who were watching us timidly, although half expecting us to jump up and force them to start talking to each other. They were right.

"Harry, is there anything you want to say?" I asked him. "Through this, your friendships will only become stronger."

Harry gulped. "Uh…"

Clary turned to Percy. "Percy? It can't have been easy, saving the world, losing your memories. Anything you want to share."

Percy looked like he had swallowed a fish.

"Jace?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide and friendly. "What about you?"

Jace looked like he wanted to either punch something, or collapse into a pile of tears.

"Boys," Thalia said softly. "It's ok. We're here for you. This can only be good, you know."

They looked incredibly uncomfortable.

Ginny, Clary, Thalia and I burst out laughing.

Percy, Harry and Jace scowled and kicked the ground. Percy muttered something about 'girls' and Harry said something in agreement.

We couldn't hear them. I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe.

"You- should have… seen the looks-on your… Faces!" I managed to get out, before collapsing on Thalia, who was also howling with laughter.

They muttered a few other things, although when we looked back up, their faces were a little more forgiving, a little more happier and relaxed then the first time we'd seen them.

"Let's go," Percy said. "I think we've got another few seconds before this becomes unbearable."

Clary and Ginny were leaning on each other, Ginny's darker, auburn locks clashing with Clary's brighter, redder ones.

Thalia and I were still sniggering, unable to look at the boys without disappearing in a fit of giggles.

"You guys…" Thalia tried. She was shaking with silent laughter.

We walked over to the Pegasi, where the good mood and bad mood had spread to them. The mares were nickering and the stallions were stamping their feet in frustration. Jace, Percy and Harry were red enough for the entire male species at that point.

I mounted Roger and stroked his mane, trying not to giggle when he stuck his head up and flattened his ears.

"Men," I said, rolling my eyes.

_Women_, his tail, ears and snort told me. I grinned like the Cheshire cat and waited for the others to hurry up. Thalia was so distracted; she didn't even notice we were going back up until we had already left.

Harry

My Pegasus's name was Will. Not short for William, or Wilfrick, or Wilfred. Just Will. He refused to respond when I called him Billy, and snorted angrily when I tried Bill. I looked over at Ginny, whose hair was riding down her back in a wave.

"I think there might be something in the water at Camp that does something to their outlooks on names," I called. She turned and grinned. We had bid goodbye to Lara and Bobby as we bumped into them on the way to our stables. It had been bittersweet. Leaving them meant going home. I hadn't particularly wanted to leave them. That's the thing, about almost everything. You leave people behind, no matter what you do. No matter where you go. It's a twisted, upsetting, undeniable fact of life.

"I think you're right," Ginny yelled back. "My ones name is Graham. He absolutely refuses to be called anything else. Don't you, Grey?"

The horse seemed to push its head further and hold its ears down closer to its head. I laughed.

"It seems to be the opposite, the campers hate their full names, the Pegasi hate their shortened names."

"I think we may be onto the scientific find of the century!" She called. The wind had begun to rush harder, we were going faster. Blackjack had pulled a little ahead of the group. I looked, worried, down at Will. His muscles heaved and his breathing was only slightly labored. Percy had said it would take most of the day to get to Hogwarts. I had very little doubt that, at this pace, he was wrong. I did doubt, however, whether or not I'd make it at all. I looked back and saw all the other Pegasi beginning to fatigue. This was going to be a long day.

The ocean sped underneath us, the air blew in hurried tempests around us. My goggles prevented most of the searing hurt I could see Ginny and the others going through. Then again, it was either join them in camaraderie, or not be able to see at all.

In the words of Hermione Granger, my eyesight really is quite horrible.

* * *

Land sped under us. We flew over cities and towns and farms. Green and grey and brown and blue. It all mashed in a blur. Had I been less tired and more excited about the whole thing, I might of actually enjoyed the sight. Cows were the size of ants, cars were tiny beetles. I could have fit fifty houses easily inside a match box.

We crossed over forests and lakes and clearings and parks. Trees and bushes mushed into a huge blur. The grey skies cast Ponds and Lakes into a silvery liquid. The weather was not much different from what we had been experiencing in New York, other than the fact that the wing had dropped to below a whisper, and the skies threatened rain.

So really, all in all, quite different.

We were nearly there. The sky was darkening, lights were turning on whenever we passed a street. Every town was Hogsmeade, every lake had a giant squid.

I wanted to get their _so badly_.

And then… I saw it.

The very train tracks Ron and I had followed in a flying Ford Anglia. We cut across them and took a shortcut across the plains. The lights of Hogsmeade, the lights that had only recently been switched back on, emanated softly ahead of us.

I urged Will on, but he only gave a feeble spurt of speed. I was bitten with shame, I had forgotten all about his exhaustion.

I smiled. Hagrid would take care of them. He would be over the moon to see animals like these.

The tall spires of Hogwarts soon entered our views, right after the hazard mess of the Forbidden Forest. First up came to Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Astronomy towers, then a few lower ones, then the bulk of the school, then the grass that dotted around the side.

I was home.

Percy dived and we all followed him. Blackjack raced towards the ground first, flapping his wings, hovering for a minute or so, and then dropping onto his hooves, head almost instantly drooping to the ground.

Will followed eagerly, with far less grace and lots more speed. We crashed into the ground, his legs only just keeping the landing. I leapt off him and ran to his face. His sides were heaving, but his eyes were excited. He didn't regret it. I could tell that much.

"Good boy," I pulled off my goggles and patted his sweaty nose. "Good horse."

And I turned back to the school that started everything.

Ginny ran up next to me and grabbed my hand, she was grinning, her hair was a dirty mess. I grinned as well.

I could hear comments behind me. Jace's proclamation of its size, Annabeth's wonder at the architecture, Percy's wondering of the food. Clary just seemed in awe.

People ran down from the side of the castle. I noticed Professor McGonagall, her black robes and hat marking her apart from the others, all of whom were in muggle clothes.

Ron.

Hermione.

Neville.

Luna.

"Potter!" McGonagall yelled, half angry and half relieved. "Pegasi? Now? You couldn't have sent an owl at least!" They were nearly at us now.

I grinned. "Sorry, Professor. Owls weren't really in abundance where we were."

Minerva studied Jace, Thalia, Annabeth, Clary and Percy and raised her eyebrows. "No, they wouldn't have been." Then she turned, and without any ceremony at all, hurried back to the castle.

I grinned and staggered back and Hermione jumped into my arms.

"Harry! You're back! You were riding on _flying horses_! This is incredible!"

"Ginny! I thought that you'd come back this way," Luna said. "You were bitten by a toadstool goblin, were you?"

"Uh, no, sorry Luna," Ginny said, still grinning.

"Hello, I'm Jace, a shadow hunter," Jace said pleasantly.

"I'm sorry, a what?" Ron asked, eloquent as always.

"Destroyer of demons," Jace stated, extending his hand and shaking Ron's. "Ginny's brother, right?"

"Yep," Ron said. He looked at Clary. "And you are?"

Clary raised her eyebrows. "Clarissa Fray/Fairchild/Morgenstern. Pleased to meet you."

"That's a lot of names," Luna commented.

"Yes, thank you Luna, couldn't have picked that out for myself," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Honestly."

Ginny hit her brother. "Be nice."

"I'm Thalia," Thalia said. "I was a tree for a while and now I'm immortal. I also don't date. Lovely to meet you all."

Everyone looked at her. She turned defensive.

"What? It's true."

"That's weird," Ron said.

"Shut up, Ronald," Hermione chastised.

Percy cleared his throat. "I'm Perc—"

"_Full name_," Annabeth interrupted.

Percy sighed. "Perse_us _Jackson. Son of Poseidon."

"Son of what?" Neville asked.

"Poseidon," Annabeth said. "I'm the daughter of Athena."

"Demigods," Hermione said quietly. She seemed utterly overwhelmed. "Half gods."

"And you are?" Annabeth asked politely.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione said, smiling.

The other introduced each other. It was odd, seeing them meet each other. Ron and Percy seemed to get along, and Annabeth and Hermione seemed relieved to have found someone that reached their level. Clary and Luna talked about art, Luna seemed to be acting normal. Thalia was standing in the back, glaring at things. Especially the boys. Ginny started to talk to her. Jace was talking with Neville. He didn't look particularly impressed at Neville's attempt at conversation. I decided to save him.

"So, Neville, you destroyed that Horcrux, right?" I reminded him. His eyes lit up for a moment, as if relieved to have something vaguely interesting to add to the conversation.

"Yeah! Yeah! Nagini!" He said. Jace looked impressed.

"Wow, that's awesome," Jace said sincerely.

"I know," Neville said comfortably.

Jace grinned, Neville grinned back. With all that new found confidence, he was almost as egotistical as Jace.

They were going to either try to outdo each other and burn the castle down, or hand each other the matches. Either way the relationship didn't look very healthy.

We walked up to the castle, each of us leading our Pegasi. Hermione walked next to me and looked up at Will with an expression of wonder.

"Can I have a go?" she asked. "This is incredible."

I looked at Will. He had recovered somewhat, but I could see he didn't want to fly. "If you're fine with just walking."

Hermione nodded eagerly. I helped her up into the sitting position. She looked at the wings and stroked them. A shiver went down Will when she did.

Ron came over, eyebrows raised, impressed. "Hermione, you're riding a winged horse."

"Good job, Ron," Ginny congratulated.

"Yes," I said. "A very good job indeed."

Ron ignored us and looked at Will's wings. "This is bloody amazing."

"Yes," I agreed. "I know."

"You have to tell us everything," Hermione ordered. "From the beginning."

"Well, first off we met the guys—"

"Jace was a jerk—"

"Was not!" said person interjected. Ginny and I ignored him.

"He called us Brits," Ginny continued.

"It was all very degrading," I put in.

"Then we went to Percy's place. He only had blue food."

"It was hard to comprehend," Jace said.

"No it wasn't," Percy said. "It took you all of three minutes to 'comprehend' it."

"And then we went to the institute," Ginny said. "It was weird in there."

Clary frowned. "No it wasn't."

"Yes it was," Annabeth promised.

"It probably was," Thalia said, as if that was it.

"And then we castaway-ed in a bus," I said. "It didn't have a roof."

"We all got very wet," Ginny said. "Well, Clary and Jace got wet. We have magic."

"And we brought jackets," Annabeth said.

Thalia stared at Jace and Clary. "You were going on an epic quest and you didn't bring jackets?"

Jace held up his hand. "Don't judge the ignorant."

"Anyway," I interrupted. "Then we were attacked by monsters."

"There were a lot of them," Ginny added.

"And then Kreacher came. He took us to a forest," I said.

"There was a school right near where we landed," Percy commented.

"Yes, we know," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. "One of the only ones in the country you hadn't been kicked out of."

"They don't know," Percy said, pointing at Neville, Luna, Ron and Hermione.

"Yes, but they don't care, Seaweed Brain." Percy just shrugged.

"And then we bumped into—"

"Me," Thalia said simply. "And I was a super, awesome person and let them stay the night."

"Jace hit on Artemis," Ginny said, grinning.

Hermione broke out of her silence to comment there. "You hit on the Goddess of Maidenhood?"

"Can we not revisit this?" Clary begged.

"I'm with Clary," Annabeth said, shivering. "It was so awkward."

"And then we left," I said. "And managed to shadow travel to Camp Half-Blood."

"Shadow Travel, the art commonly held by a daughter of son of Hades and Pluto," Luna said dreamily. She noticed everyone looking at her. "Right?"

"Uh, yeah," Annabeth affirmed.

"And then we played Capture-the-Flag," Ginny said. "I was awesome."

"We were all awesome," Clary put in.

"I was off doing Hunter things," Thalia said.

"Sorry, but are you one of Artemis's eternal handmaidens?" Hermione suddenly asked. "You know, the _immortal _huntresses that travel everywhere and _swore off men_?"

"Yeah," Thalia said casually. "About time someone figured that out."

"That is so cool," Hermione said, almost enviously. Ron cleared his throat and she blinked, remembering where she was.

"And then we won Capture-the-Flag," Jace put in. "And then Nico turned up and freaked us all out."

"Who's Nico?" Neville asked.

"A friend," Percy said shortly.

"And then we decided to come to Hogwarts," Ginny put at the very end. "And that's everything that has happened up until now."

They were silent as we neared the courtyard. It was a lot to digest. The Pegasi were restless. A booming voice announced the arrival of their care.

"'Arry? Ginny? You all right? You brought 'orses!" Hagrid announced himself in such a manner, coming around through the courtyard door, his eyes widening when he saw what exact horses they were. "Not just any ol' type neither! Pegasuses!"

"Pegasi," Annabeth corrected, but Hagrid didn't hear her. He took one look at the state of them and told us all off for not caring for them properly. Hermione slipped off, almost frightened, when Hagrid took the leads of every one and pulled them towards his newly repaired hut.

"They'll need time an' care!" He told us, leaving us with raised eyebrows and an exasperated Percy.

"Blackjack's fine," he pressed.

"Probably not," Annabeth said. "You pushed all of them really hard."

Percy looked a little regretful and then shot a question around at the Wizards.

"Can we get food, please? I'm starving," He pleaded.

"I'm game for a little supper myself," Jace said. "As long as it's not blue."

Ron grinned. "You don't have to worry about that."

And so, with that, we entered the still healing castle and trekked off to the Great Hall, where a new set of introductions would be needed.

**Wow, that was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. Hope you likes it. Sorry if there was a bit of Thalia confusion. Hope it's sorted out now. Nico will have a chapter soon. That I promise.**

**Your loving and ever present Author,**


	21. Nico's Chapter

**All my italian is from Google Translate. All rights go to Rick Riordan, Cassandra Clare and Jk Rowling.**

**Hey guys. Had a burst of inspiration for my Nico chapter, so decided to give it to you early. Basically a load of Angst. Hades is a bit OOC. It's short, a bit of a background/filler chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

My sister. Bianca. Most people thought that she was cruel to leave me, to join the huntresses. She had a right to, I suppose, a right to exercise free will and all that.

It didn't change the fact that it was completely unfair.

She was all I had left, couldn't she _see _that? Didn't it occur to her that maybe I was lonely and as desperate for a family as she was?

But still, I loved her; still do love her, as a matter of fact, even though she left me, even though she went on a quest she knew very well she might never come back from.

But now, if I found her, when she remembered me, we could become a family again. Maybe we'd live at Camp, maybe we'd travel to Camp Jupiter. I'd read through the Hunters Code of Conduct a thousand times, searching for anything that might force her back into their ranks.

Hunters had to serve until they broke their oaths or died in battle.

_Died_. Bianca had died. Now I was going to bring her back.

I was deep inside Italy. The houses were close together and all made of the same red brick. People walked leisurely down the streets, sparing me a derisive glance when I pushed past them.

They recognized me as an Italian, as one of them, but, unsurprisingly, were put off by my paled skin and dark eyes.

I wasn't overly surprised, I tended to repel people.

I hurried up the street and pulled out my map. From what I could remember, Bianca was near here, perhaps in a stone cottage or one of the apartments that stretched up from the street.

I wasn't too worried; I would recognize my sister when I saw her.

I hurried up the road, checking into every window that I could, scanning the faces of everyone I'd passed. I noted a paint shop and a café. I couldn't afford to go in circles.

The sun was warm, hot on my skin. It burned in my eyes and baked the back of my neck. I grumbled, uncomfortable. I nearly missed the sunless misery of the underworld.

"_Giovane! Tu!" _I turned and saw an old man waddle after me, a grey beard taking up half his face and a straw hat sitting comfortably on his head. "_Vieni qui!_"

I sighed and walked up to him. My Italian was rusty at best, and my accent horrendous, but I could understand the simple phrase. _Young man! You! Come here!_

"_E 'qualcosa che non va?_," I asked him. _Is something wrong?_

"_Avete una lettera_," He told me panting. _You have a letter._

I was bewildered. A letter from whom? And how did they know where to find me?

"_Cosa? Da chi?" _I asked him suspiciously. _What? From who? _Hope sparked inside of me, pitifully small and fragile and weak. Maybe Bianca had found me first? Maybe she had sent a letter ahead of us meeting if only so that I'd know where to find her. The hope was almost immediately lost. If she knew I was here, why wouldn't she speak to me herself?

"_C'era una foto di voi su di esso_," the man explained, his breath finally catching up with him. _There was a picture of you on it_. He held up the picture of me and I frowned. It was the last school photo I'd ever had taken of me. Grim reality struck me. Whoever sent it must have been preparing for a while.

He handed me the letter, I accepted it gratefully and thanked him. He told me I was very welcome, before kissing me on the cheeks and walking off down the road, whistling and walking in a march like rhythm.

I tore open the envelope.

Inside was a letter, grey ink on black parchment. The writing was neat and cursive. I swallowed something in my throat. The sign-off at the bottom confirmed it. The letter was from my father.

_Dear Nico,_

_I wouldn't be the first to admit to writing to their son. I would very likely be the last._

_I know what you think you heard. Bianca has indeed applied and succeeded in Rebirth, and her spirit does currently dwell in the young body of a 1 year old girl by the name of Abrielle._

_Her name is not Bianca, she is not Bianca. Bianca is gone, she is no longer herself._

_She will not recognise you, you will not recognise her._

_The pain and gamble with rebirth is that if you die a normal life, you will end up in Asphodel. But it was a gamble your sister chose to take._

_I must also have you know the exact reasons for Bianca choosing rebirth. Firstly, she wanted to try her luck at the Isles of the Blest, an amiable accomplishment if she made it, a severe and disappointing loss if she fell short. Another reason was that the ghosts knew that the underworld was falling apart. Those greedy sought to use this weakness for themselves, to defy death and bring those who had passed on back to life. Bianca knew that when it came to her you became the greediest of men. So she very quickly pressed for rebirth, the only option she could see._

-"That's ridiculous," I muttered, trying to ignore the sting of tears in my eyes. "She wouldn't have come if she didn't want to."-

_Granted, your sister has a will of iron, she would not have been able to resist life for very long. Bianca was very wise, Nico._

_And so you brought back Hazel, a girl who, even though not in place of Bianca, does a sisters job for you. _

_Do not attempt to change or challenge the way of the fates, Nico. It is not the way the world is supposed to be run. It is impossible for you to go against the foretelling of the oracle, so do not try to._

_Your Father,_

_Lord Hades of the Underworld,_

_Los Angeles, California._

I scrunched it up into a ball and shoved it into my pocket. No, no! No! Bianca was not gone. No!

Even through the years after her death, I realised I had never let go of that slim ray of hope, that tiny fragment of possibility that she might be salvageable. There must be a reason for me to have been gifted with the powers that I wielded over the dead. There must have been a reason I was taught to do all of this.

_Perhaps it's so you'll learn this lesson_, A small, timid voice said at the back of my head. _Maybe it's so you'll learn to finally let go._

_Shut up! _I snarled at it. _Be quiet! You're wrong! You're all wrong!_

I ran off down the street, stuffing the letter into the first bin I passed. I rushed into and through old ladies and men, young women and adult gentlemen, around small boys and little girls. There were howls of indignation and demands for apologies.

I heard none of it.

My mind had turned blank. Bianca was too far gone, this was like before. She didn't _love _me, she never _cared _about me! She left me as soon as the opportunity came up. I was an idiot for not running away from that stupid school and leaving her there to rot.

My bitterness and repressed anger broke through and I was thinking awful things; that I wished she had died earlier, that I wished she had never been born, that I wished that when Zeus tried to kill us, he half succeeded.

I sank into a wall and pressed my head into my hands.

It gutted me that Percy and Annabeth had been right. I wanted so badly for them to be wrong. I wanted them to look at me with admiration, to realise that I wasn't that stupid ten year old anymore. That I was strong and brave and clever.

Still, after convincing myself for years that I didn't care what people thought, I still followed that irresistible desire to fit in, to be accepted.

Maybe, when you're 14 and you don't know where your next meals coming from, it's not such a bad thing to have insecurities.

Maybe it's not such a bad thing to be angry at your sister for turning into a one year old names Abrielle just to avoid you saving her.

Maybe it was ok to still miss her, even if she had been gone for a while.

The sun was far from setting, and yet I felt like I had witnessed the movement of years, not small moments.

I looked around myself at the world.

Somewhere, maybe close by, maybe not very far away, was a little girl that was wearing my sisters soul.

The little girl's name was Abrielle. She would think of me as a tourist. She wouldn't give me a second glance.

That little girl might be all the sister I have left.

But she wasn't my sister.

Not now, not in a week, not ever.

I breathed out all the air from my lungs, and refilled them. Slowly, carefully.

The breath from inside my body mingled with the hot air of Italy and I finally decided to let go.


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey guys, sorry about the wait. I had school camp and just had exams and then I have to study for Lifesaving and yeah.**

**Anyway, here's another chapter. Nico'll be coming, maybe next chapter, maybe the one after.**

**Review or PM or send me telepathic waves (without me going into great detail, can you guess the one I think the least probable? Haha, Lol. I need my own TV show)**

**Just a little thing I'm going to slip in here, the Harry Potter section started being based three months after the finish of the battle. They're still tidying up. Cool. Alright. Let's go.**

Ginny

The great hall was almost fixed. Dust still coated what was left of the tables, and what was left of the tables was not much, but the teachers table was whole again, and the roof was back in working order. Everyone turned to look as we entered. It might have been Harry, who still had a nervous look on his face, it might have been Percy who was holding a pen, it might have been Annabeth, who had her hand clasped around her hilt. Then again, it could have been Jace, who was looking annoyingly angelic, or Clary, who was holding her seraph blade. Despite all of these guesses, I supposed, in the end, that Thalia was demanding most of the attention. With black cropped hair, violent make-up, silver hunter clothing and a bow and arrows, she certainly didn't look the part of a wizard.

It didn't help that she had small flickers of electricity flickering at the tips of her fingers and at the roots of her hair.

Across the whole, in the remains of the Ravenclaw house table, my family was beginning to get up.

The rest of my family.

Even Fleur's face was welcome, I smiled sweetly at her and she smiled back. She gave me an odd look and I frowned. In the end, the meaning was worked out. She wanted to speak to me.

Mum came and wrapped me in a huge hug, mumbling greetings and relief and exhaustion through my hair and into my ear. Dad next, his was shorter and brisker, but just as full of love and happiness to see me safe.

"Mum, Dad," I said, waving my hand in the direction of Percy, Annabeth, Jace, Clary and Thalia. "Unmentioned others." My brothers rolled their eyes. "This is Percy, Annabeth, Clary, Thalia and Jace." I pointed to them each as I said their names.

"And I'm—"

"Arthur Weasley," Annabeth finished warmly, shaking his hand. "We've heard so much about you, about all of you."

"All bad I hope," Bill said, hand locked with Fleurs.

Percy smiled. "Mostly." Then they were introduced to Kingsley, the rest of the Professors, the remaining school mates and then the very, very few left of the Order of the Pheonix. Seeing the last of us was utterly depressing. I managed to smile, however. Even if it was a bitter, small smile and the only person I was convincing was myself.

While they talked, Fleur grabbed my arm. Harry saw me go and just smiled evily. I glared at him as Fleur forced me to take a seat on the Gryffindor table.

"I 'ave somezing to tell you," she said, beaming. I couldn't reciprocate the feelings.

"I could have figured that out for myself, thanks," I said dryly.

"I'm preegnant!" she burst out excitedly.

I blinked a few times, the words finally registering in my mind and I properly understood that the socially acceptable response was more proper than the emotions currently running through my mind.

"That fantastic!" I beamed and (willingly-ish) pulled her into a hug. Fleur clutched me tightly.

"You, ove course, must be ze Godmozer!" She said happily into my ear. I pulled back, my smile a little more genuine now that it was mixed with astonishment.

"Godmother? Me?" I asked, shocked. "Why? What about Gabrielle?"

Fleur had tears in her eyes. It didn't really seem like she really heard my question. "My seester and you! The perfect Godmozers! Oh! Bill will be so pleased!"

"Well… I… Thank you! This is… thank you so much!" I managed to get out. Fleur beamed and danced over to Bill, where it looked like he was just receiving news of my acceptance. He smiled over at me and I grinned back timidly.

Harry slid into the seat next to me. "Hey Red, Fleur just tell her she was moving into your back pocket?"

"She asked me to be her baby's godmother," I deadpanned.

Harry was taken aback. "Wait, Fleur's pregnant? How?"

I gave him a look. "How do you think people get pregnant, Harry?"

Harry went slightly red. "Whatever, Freckle Face."

"Drop the nick names," I said irritably. "I still want to retain some dignity."

Harry laughed. "You never had any dignity."

I raised my eyebrows at him. He stopped laughing. After a while.

"Why are you laughing?" Ron asked Harry. I turned to answer for my until very recently, occupied boyfriend.

"I'm Bills and Fleurs kid's godmother."

Ron nodded, "Good job."

Hermione ran over, she looked excited. "Ginny! I just overheard the news! Godmother! You must be so excited!"

I just gave her a look.

"Speaking of godchildren," Ron said. "Where's Andromeda and Teddy?"

"Andromeda said she would come and help finish tidying up when we were nearly done," Hermione said, a little sadly. "In her last letter, she said that he definitely looked like both of his parents."

We all smiled, a sad, small sort of smile. But there was happiness in there as well. Just a little bit. More than there had been, not taking over any of the sadness, but sort of assistance through the grief, perhaps there, more or less, to show us the happier side to things.

Our little philosophical moment was interrupted by the rest of my brothers. Percy sat down hesitantly, George sat, his eyes still hollow, his mouth still closed, next to him. Angelina sat next to him and everyone else spread out along the table, Percy, Annabeth, Clary, Jace and Thalia all seating themselves near Harry and I.

We all sat there in a super awkward silence for a couple of minutes.

"So," Percy (demigod) said. "What do you do for fun around here?"

"Go to the library," Hermione said.

Everyone looked at her. Ron and Harry gave each other high-fives.

"Hermione Moment number 64!" They yelled in unison.

"What?" Bill asked.

"We've been keeping a tally," Harry said. "We started a few Thursdays ago."

"It's been completely draining and degrading," Hermione commented.

"It's been interesting," Luna decided.

"And entertaining," Neville said, grinning.

"No it hasn't," Ron said. Then he chose to rethink. "Well, to you _maybe_."

The situation built from there. My brothers, sparing Ron, and everyone else with half an ounce of sense (leaving out Luna, Neville, Thalia, Annabeth, Percy, Clary and Myself of course. I refuse to even consider adding Jace to that list) left to help repair an archway or something, or perhaps help Filch sweep up the dust that refused to be moved. Eventually food appeared on our table. Not the spectacular food given to us by the Elves that we normally enjoyed during the Hogwarts school year, but easy broths and soups, as well as slices of bread and scrambled eggs. Water and pumpkin juice lined the tables.

Percy picked up a pitcher of Pumpkin juice. "Why is this orange?"

"Are you angry because it's not blue?" Jace guessed.

"I will cut your throat open," Percy said calmly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and poured herself some water.

"It's pumpkin juice," Hermione told him.

Thalia scrunched up her nose. "Pumpkin Juice?"

"It's quite nice, actually," Harry told her, sipping on his own glass of it.

"I hate pumpkin," Thalia muttered.

"Then drink water!" Percy almost-yelled.

Thalia sighed, rolled her eyes but said nothing.

Clary turned green when the light brown broth she had eaten turned out to be mud rather than chicken (the House Elves had gotten annoyingly creative in the kitchen when supplies had run low. Eating in the great hall was almost as dangerous as eating a bag of Bertie-botts every flavoured beans) and Jace had tried to hide his laughter by sipping on his Pumpkin juice, which, as you can imagine, resulted in him spraying the said juice all over Luna.

"Oh, it's quite alright," Luna said brightly, surveying the damage with bright eyes. "Perhaps the spit of a Shadow Hunter combined with pumpkin juice has healing properties!"

"I highly doubt that, Luna," Neville said dryly.

"Hannah's behind you," Luna said.

Neville span around in his chair and fell to the ground. He turned back to glare at Luna when he saw no one there. The table roared with laughter. Ron collapsed into his buttered bread and then Hermione onto his back. The laughter shook the table and echoed around the hall. We were certainly attracting a lot of attention.

"Luna! Not funny!" Neville glared up, any shred of dignity gone as his face darkened to red and he pushed himself up.

"It's very funny," Luna said, her mouth a small smile.

Neville grumbled and sat back down. We were just about finished laughing when a pretty blonde girl walked into the great hall. She looked around a bit before she spied Neville and her face brightened. She made her way over. I grinned.

"Neville, Hannah's coming," I told him.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that again," Neville said angrily and sulkily.

"Seriously mate, she's almost here," Ron told him, his smile that hadn't left since the 'Hannah's-not-actually-behind-you-Neville-you-dingbat' escapade not helping his credibility.

"Hannah is actually behind you," Harry said, his face a lot straighter, a lot more believable.

Neville raised his voice. "Hannah is _not_-!"

"Neville?" Hannah asked. Neville's face dropped and he turned around.

"Oh, er, hi… Hannah, um, yes, see—"

Hannah just laughed and sat between Neville and Luna.

"What do we do now?" Thalia asked.

I shrugged. "Ask around. Maybe speak to the Centaurs. Somebody might know _something_."

"I need to buy something," Jace announced. "Something that'll keep my ears warm."

"It's the middle of summer," Annabeth said.

"It's still cold enough to cry about," Jace told her.

"Why aren't you more manly?" Clary begged.

"I am manly! See… uh… You! There! Bring me a pie!"

"Me?" Neville asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes. You. Yep."

"No."

Jace turned to Clary. "I tried."

Percy sighed and stood up. "I'll go with you."

Jace frowned at him. "I'm perfectly capable to go on my own."

Percy glared at him. "I'm trying my very hardest to act like an angsty martyr here. Stop it. You're not helping."

Jace held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, fine. Company wouldn't be too bad. Even if the company has sand where his brain should be."

Percy sent him a death stare.

Jace coughed a little.

"So we'll go into the forest and check out the centaurs?" Clary asked. "Sweet."

"It'd be dumb to send all of us," Harry said. "I should go, they don't despise me."

"No, you should go discuss stuff with, er, _his_, portrait," Hermione said.

Thalia sat up. "I want to talk to portraits!"

"So do I," Percy said moodily, obviously regretting his decision to go with Jace.

"I'll go to the centaurs," Annabeth said, thoughtful. "Maybe knowing Chiron will help out."

And so it was decided that Jace and Percy would walk down to Hogsmeade to buy something to warm Jace's ears (he refused to have someone create one out of 'dark magic'), Myself, Neville, Hermione, Luna, Hannah and Annabeth would go down to speak to the centaurs ("Only women then?" Ron had said. Neville just glowered at him) and then Harry, Ron, Thalia and Clary were to go to the headmasters portraits (or perhaps, more specifically, one certain headmasters portrait). In other words, one group was people with tact, the other was people with little or none to speak of.

"And we shall be the Fellowship of the Centaurs," Annabeth said calmly. I choked on my pumpkin juice.

Clary

Thalia, Ron, Harry and I walked through the castle, Harry leading the group, Ron standing next to him, leaving Thalia and myself. I felt nervous around the strong, capable woman next to me. She looked two years my junior yet she talked like she was at least twice my age. Often, when she stood completely still, I could imagine her as a tree, the giant tree that guarded the borders. I thought that she'd had a very hard life and deserved a break.

Sometimes I thought that being a Hunter of Artemis might not be all that bad, and then I remembered Jace and Mom and Luke and Simon and everything I would leave behind and felt a mixture of guilt and nostalgia.

"So," Thalia said as we walked up a flight of stairs. "Have you noticed the portraits moving or is that just me?"

I looked around I surprise. She was right, all along the walls paintings stared at us, some whispering to their neighbor, others pulling out odd pieces of equipment (there was a man with a microscope and another with an ear trumpet) in order to, well, I suppose, _understand _us better.

"No," I reassured her. "It is definitely not just you."

We continued walking and Thalia and I picked up pleasant conversation, her chatting about being a hunter and all it entailed, me giving a deeper insight into being a Shadow-hunter.

"Looking better in black then the widows of our enemies?" Thalia asked, grinning. "That sounds like something he'd make up."

"That's what _I _said," I said, shaking my head at my boyfriends antics. "But, you know. I wouldn't put it past the council to be ridiculously firm and then make some stupid comment like that."

"A bunch of old fools?" Thalia guessed.

I smiled a little. "Not anymore."

We looked up and stopped ourselves just before we crashed into the boys.

"Do you know the password?" Harry asked. "McGonogall was changing it every five seconds before."

"I think so," Ron said. He turned to the spiral staircase in front of him. "_Silva laeta est_."

"Latin?" I guessed.

Ron nodded, rolling his eyes. "Typical McGonogall."

"What does it mean?" Thalia asked, scrunching up her nose, wishing she was just a little Roman, if only to decipher the password.

Harry answered for his friend, "Who knows?"

While we had been speaking the staircase had moved. We all stood on it and it headed upwards. We arrived at a set of doors and Ron and Harry pushed through, Thalia and I trailing after them.

We entered a huge oval office surrounded with bookshelves, although books wasn't the only thing to be found on them, nor, the primary thing to be found on them. There was a basin with menacing, curling grey smoke, and many spindly gold objects, that also made a mess on several tables dotted throughout. Then there was a huge desk, which I could only assume was for the Headmistress, and then behind that the wall was covered with portraits of the previous Heads of Hogwarts.

"Phineas," Harry said, grinning slightly, nodding at a sleeping portrait. I would have questioned his sanity had the man in the picture's face not grow suddenly irritated.

"Huh," Thalia said. "They pretend to be asleep."

"Yes," I said. "Way to point out the obvious, Thalia."

We reached a large portrait, one of the largest on their. It depicted an old, wizened man with a kind face, electric blue eyes, a thin frame and half moon spectacles perched on a long nose that looked as if it could have been broken quite a few time.

Harry spoke, his voice clogged, just fighting back tears, "Sir."

"Harry, m'boy," the picture said, smiling proudly at Harry. "I've been waiting for you to see me."

"I'm sorry," Thalia said. "But who are you?"

The man realized the existence of myself and Thalia and, after brief shock, smiled kindly at us. "I, my dear Nephilim and Demigod, am Albus Dumbledore, previous headmaster at Hogwarts."

"Oh," I said, eyes wide as I truly realized who I was speaking to. "_Oh_."

"You have heard of me then?" He mused, eyes flying from Harry to Thalia and then settling on me. "I see."

"Sir—" Ron started.

Dumbledore held up his hand. "Their existence in this castle is information enough, Mr. Weasley. But for a few moments of explanation and then I will answer any questions you still retain.

"I was told, before my death, before anyone but I was of any right to know, that a prophecy had been made. The seer, I do not know—"

"Or Oracle," Thalia interrupted. Everyone turned to look at her. She blushed a little, but still managed out a defensive: "What?"

"The seer, I do not know the name of," Dumbledore continued. "But of the prophecy I do. It stated that three worlds, three worlds kept separate for safety and as a precaution to combat World Wars, wars, I might add, that would tear the world apart, must one day merge in the form of their most gifted individuals. They would only be children, their powers fresh, their minds still learning, but their experiences will have wearied them, and wisdom beyond their years would be the thing that would highlight them from the rest. Those chosen were perhaps not the best in their field, perhaps they were the worst, but they all brought something to the group. One would bring loyalty—"

_Percy_, I immediately thought, remembering the tales of his courage.

"And another for pride,"

_Jace_, It was immediate, I needed no second guess.

"One for leadership,"

_Harry._

"One for Intelligance."

_Annabeth._

"There was to be the flame, a source of warmth, of comfort,"

_Ginny_, I knew, immediately that her kind words, her whispers that acted as blankets on cold nights. And her defiance, her encouragement.

And the last was going to be me. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be something like "And then one for them to rescue and see to once the going got tough."

"And then the sixth was not specified as any sort of blessing at all," Dumbledore said, frowning slightly. "They were to be of importance, they were to figure something out, something to change the pace of the war—"

"War?!" Harry jumped in, shocked. "_War_?"

Dumbledore looked confused. "Why yes, war, of course. Six warriors, what else could you have thought?"

Harry looked stumped for a second. "Again?"

Thalia looked troubled. "Again."

I thought of the dying screams as we fought in the final battle, Death that seemed to hover over the bodies of the wounded, the blackness that seemed, although unseen, thick in the air. _Again._

Jace *****

Percy and I walked down to Hogsmeade, and, despite what I had said earlier, enjoyed the slight warmth that lingered over this part of Scotland throughout summer. The night was dark but what with my phone and Percy's sword (he used it as a flashlight, go figure) we didn't have much trouble finding our way. Galleons and Sickles jingled in my pocket.

"So," I said. "I've never been to a wizarding village before."

"Yeah," Percy said, giving me a look. "Funny, that."

"You're sassier than a Sasquatch."

"You're more annoying than forgetting what you were going into a room for once you get into the room."

"Take it back," I said calmly.

"Make me, Angel Boy," Percy challenged.

"Oh, I will," I said. "Just when you least expect it."

We were silent for a moment.

"I bet I could chug a milkshake faster than you," I said, picking at my fingers.

Percy scoffed. "Not likely."

"Uh, yes, very likely," I said, already liking where this was going. So if we get through this, whatever it is, I challenge you to a Milkshake drinking contest."

Percy thought for a moment. "What do I get if I win?"

I thought for a moment. "Dignity."

"Nope."

"Alright… Ultimate dignity."

"I'll consider it, but, as of yet, nope."

"Alright, Ultimate dignity and eternal glory?"

Percy rubbed the stubble on his chin. "I like it."

We continued down to Hogsmeade and looked around enjoying the small town. All around us Witches and Wizards buzzed, going into the late opening shops and buying an assortment of things.

We stopped outside 'Gladrags Wizardwear'.

"This looks like a nice place," I said, entering, the bell tinkling overhead as I did. A few seconds later it did so once again as Percy followed me.

I looked around, at first mesmerized by the hats and robes and feathers and other things for sale, but then I joined Percy at the socks.

The socks.

Sweet Angel.

"I think that one changes colour with your mood," Percy said, pointing at once that beemed orange at his touch.

"I wonder what orange means?" I asked, grinning at him. He reached inside the sock and pulled out a card.

"Orange: Intrigue. Fitting, I suppose," he said, pushing it back in.

"This one has a watch on it," I said, picking up the grey sock to show him the ticking face. "That's so weird."

"Hey look, earmuffs," Percy said, making towards them, picking off a black one and chucking it at me. "Alright, now lets go."

I rolled my eyes and walked up to the counter, where I had to poke the sales wizard a few times (nose, cheek and then both eyes) before he woke up. As soon as he asked for money I handed over the silver and gold coins Harry had given to me. The man seemed confused and handed most of it back, keeping a few of the silver coins.

We stepped out and I put them over my ears.

"There," I said, satisfied. "Much better."

Percy gave me a look. "You're impossible."

"It's only because I'm awesome," I replied, indifferent.

"That's not a reason for impossible-ness."

"Impossible-ness isn't even a word."

"Whatever, I was offered to be a god, I make the rules."

We passed a bar called the 'Three Broomsticks' and with the promise of warmth and the drink that Harry and Ginny had been moaning about every two seconds, Butterbeer, I dragged Percy into the store and sat us down on a table in the corner.

The butterbeers were brought out (by a very attractive barmaid who I tried my hardest not to charm, for Clary's sake) and we drank them, surprised at the warmth and wholesome feeling it brought.

"Ugh, it's too hot for a drink like this," Percy sighed, airing out his t-shirt.

"We're in Scotland," I said. "You'll cope."

After that I had to excuse myself to the Men's Room, the call of nature calling very loudly.

What I couldn't have known was that a man, dressed comfortably, had watched me go. He had been laughing with friends, drinking something stronger than Butterbeer and blending in perfectly.

Just as he'd been commanded to do.

And then he excused himself and followed my trail to the toilet, wand held in his hand, eyes slightly glazed, mind controlled elsewhere.

It was beginning.

It would properly begin soon.

**And with the ominous ending, I leave you. Not forever, that would be mean, stuff's just started happening.**

**Anywho.**

***Jace's POV was just so I could squeeze the Hogsmeade scene in (I didn't have to I just thought it was funny and I like their bromance JEEZ UGH).**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey! So, update!**

**Btw, if you're into Percy Jackson, check out my other fics because um Percy told you to.**

**Percy: Did I?**

**MSxx: Yes.**

**Percy: I don't rememb—**

**MSxx: ANYTHING BUT ANNABETH I KNOW THAT WAS SO SWEET.**

**Percy:…**

**MSxx:…**

**Percy:…**

**MSxx:…**

**Percy:…**

**MSxx: otp.**

* * *

Annabeth

Ginny, Hannah, Hermione, Neville, Luna and I set off towards the Forbidden Forest, where night had fallen and the trees had no light to cast shadows.

I pulled out my knife, the celestial bronze emitted enough light to see with, but when the wizards cast a _lumos_ charm, I sheathed it. There was more than enough light by that point.

"So, these Centaurs," I said in an attempt to bring some conversation. "Do they suddenly disappear to Hawaii for any reason?"

"Uh," Ginny said. "No one really sees them much… maybe?"

"I hope we can find them," Hannah said, nervous.

"We'll find them," Luna said, smiling. "They want to be found tonight."

"Not to mention that Luna is their favourite human," Neville mentioned. "If they don't come out for her, they'll come out for no one."

"That's sweet of you to say," Luna beamed. Only I noticed Hannah shoot her a dirty glance. I smiled a little. Ah, the bliss and memories of seemingly unrequited love.

We delved deeper into the woods. The sky was covered, the trees formed a thick roof over our heads. Trunks loomed out of the darkness, leaves blew in lazy circles in the off chance of a small breeze. Shuffling was sometimes heard, but to faint to be certain and too distant to be frightened of. Hannah would speak to Neville and Hermione to Ginny, but only in hushed tones, with the understanding that, for some reason, breaking this silence would be worse than attempting to combat it.

"We should stop now," Luna's voice rang out. We halted and turned to her. "The Centaurs will only get angry if we go any further into their territory."

"Centaurs are territorial?" I asked, surprised. As soon as I said it I immediately placed the pieces together, the competitions of the greatest herd whenever I'd seen them together, Chiron's utter protectiveness of the camp. These things could account to other traits in Centaurs, but tonight it was enough to convince.

My epiphany was silent, so I shouldn't have been so irritated when Hermjone's voice loudened in answer; "Why, yes of course! Rated the third most territorial creature on the earth as of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them _and in that, closely behind Dragons and Blast Ended Skrewts!"

"I don't think I want to know what a Blast Ended Skrewt is," I commented.

"My father believes they're beneficial to the health of young children," Luna said. "But only those who have been blessed by a witch with one eyebrow."

"So, you shave off an eyebrow, bless an infant and _wham! _Your child is benefited rather than harmed by those monsters?" Hannah asked, still not over the familiarity between Luna and Neville.

"I was right. I really didn't want to know what a Blast Ended Skrewt is."

"All regret agreeing to learn about them, I think," Hermione agreed.

Ginny grimaced. "Well my eyebrows certainly did."

I blinked. A sense of movement tickled at the back of my neck. Something, someone, was behind me, waiting, watching, wondering who we were.

"We need to ask you a question," I turned to where the shadows concealed him.

Silence fell as all the others looked at me, wondering who I was talking to; _what _I was talking to.

And then hooves hit the leafy ground in a dull thud. A half-man half-horse stepped out in front of us, his face desperately handsome and his hands clutching a long brown bow. A quiver of goose feather arrows was tight on his back, and his fur and hair was a dark red.

But the most outstanding part of himself, was the expression on his face. His eyes were blank, his mouth a dead line. Expression was dormant. He was regarding us as a snake does a grain of sand. The only thing that gave away an inkling of irritation was the tightness of his hands around his bow. Clenched, whitened with the strength attributed because of this clenching, and shaking, the muscles worn out, exhausted.

But I was impressed. Anything that could hide his emotions so well easily earned my utter respect.

"Humans are not permitted her. Mutate, and come back."

I enjoyed his sense of humour.

"I'm not human," I told him. "I'm half god."

His eyes showed a sparkle of intrigue. "Demigod? There has not been a…Child of Athena? Yes, I see that. There has not been a Child of that goddess in Britain for hundreds of years."

"The gods moved to America," I told him.

His eyes glinted. "They were over Britain for far longer than they have been over the United States. Magic flourishes here as it does no where else in the entire world. Hecate's Children thrive as they do no where else. Centaurs, dragons, unicorns, sphinxes and Basilisks. This land is cultivated with magic. Can you not feel it in the soil? The air? In the faces of the children who attend that school? The United States may host the gods for a little while, but they will move on, and they will move soon. Germany and Norway, I can see it. I have the gift of foresight. And then, soon, they will come back to us."

I glanced back, and saw that the patriarchal Centaur had hit a few choice chords. Ginny, Hannah, Hermione, Neville and Luna stood, eyes wide, peaceful, happy. The Centaur had called them special, called their home special.

"Ah, yes. Well, we need your help. You say you have foresight, can you control what you see?"

The Centaur shifted, agitated. "I cannot. However, if you would wait here, I will bring someone who can."

Without a word of our compliance, he ran off into the forest, his hooves oddly light upon the ground.\

I turned back to the others.

"Well," Hannah said. "That was an…odd meeting."

"I hope he's bringing another Centaur, and not a particularly gifted Blast-Ended Skrewt."

There was a dark muttering of agreement.

"Yes, I'm very glad I don't know what a Blast Ended Skrewt is."

"Well, Annabeth," Luna began. "They're sort of…enlarged scorpions."

"I'm sorry—what?"

"Giant, fire-friendly, evil-as-hell, Scorpions," Neville told me.

"Sounds lovely," I said, making a face. "And you _know_ about these, uh, Skrewts, because…?"

"Hagrids a weirdo," Ginny said blatantly.

"Ginny!" Hermione scolded.

"Well, he had a baby dragon that quite possibly _nearly killed _him, he threw Harry on top of a dangerous animal with an Importance Complex, managed to smuggle a _Giant_ through the countryside to this very Forest and had a baby giant, man-eating, pedo spider as a pet."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You don't mean that."

Ginny smiled slightly. "No, no, not really."

Hermione seemed to accept that thsiw as the best answer she was going to get, so she turned to Luna and started a pleasant conversation while Neville started to hesitantly talk to Hannah. The blush from before seemed to creep back into his cheeks.

Ginny turned to me. "So, I liked your home; what are your thoughts on mine?"

I looked around appreciating, for a bit, how very ancient the trees were that surrounded us in a seemingly constant expanse.

The architecture alone of the castle had given me inspiration, should Olympus be pushed to the brink of utter destruction again, I was definitely going to be installing some of those staircases that changed around that I had only glimpsed during our short time in the castle.

"I think it's, well, forgive this awfully cheesy thing that I'm about to say, but, well… it's magical Ginny, magical."

Ginny laughed. "Well, I'll forgive you for using the word 'magic' in regards to a _magic school_ one day; but for now I'll pretend you used something else entirely."

Further conversation ceased as another creature came out of the trees, lead by the centaur we had seen before.

"Firenze?" Luna asked, enchanted. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The good looking blonde centaur smiled serenely down at her. "Luna, it's such a pleasure to see you again. You had such a skill with reading what the skies had to say."

"Can you help us?" I blurted out, desperate, hope fuelled by this being that seemed, to me, to simply radiate hope. "Do you know anything?"

The centaur looked at me gravely. "I know many things, Annabeth, daughter of Athena and the hero of the prophecy of seven. I know you carried the Mark of Athena to Rome, killed the bane of the children of your mother and then fell further than many had ever fallen before. I know these things; Annabeth Chase. I knew that you would come to me with this question. Your life line burns brightly through the expanse across our heads. And I knew, that when you came, you would have been ready for what I was going to say."

Everyone looked at me; Firenze especially, his blue eyes a mixture of hope and aspiration and worry.

"Are you good with riddles, half-blood?" The first centaur asked me.

I straightened up, set my chin and looked squarely at them. "The best."

"The beginning, the end; the devourer and the father. From which night, day and love sprang."

The answer didn't take long to come to me.

I was a demigod, after all; I had read the Hesiod, I had spoken with the oldest beings on earth.

But the being I was thinking of, wasn't evil, nor, from what I understood, even conscious.

I swallowed, looked up at the centaurs who were looking up at me with expectant eyes.

I wondered, fleetingly, why I had to be smart enough to know. Were centaurs simply fond of tests? Of course, constantly comparing any creature, mythical or not, to humans is destined to end in disaster.

"Chaos," I said simply. "The Beginning."

"The Beginning, yes," Luna said suddenly, her musical voice quiet. "And also the end."

Percy

Jace had been odd since the first moment I lay eyes on him; what with his over done hair and black tattoos layering all over his body.

But when leaving the Three Broomsticks, he was even worse.

After leaving the bathroom, he'd come back a changed man. He answered in short sentences, glared off moodily into space, and, although he was never out rightly staring at me, his eyes flicked to my face with more venom than I would have thought from a friend.

So we left in silence. I had to remind Jace that _he _had the money. It was as if he was going to refuse to pay before he threw a galleon on the table and sauntered out, my hurrying after him.

Night had truly come when we arrived outside. People had either entered their respective pubs or had packed it up for the night. A chill had come through in the air.

I glanced over at my silent companion. "You forgot your earmuffs."

"What?" He asked, looking over at me.

I frowned. "Hello? The thing you dragged me down here to get?"

"What?"

"Come on, you're not even that stupid."

"Huh?"

"Jace?"

"What?"

We had stopped walking now, and a sort of dread came over me. It was then that I remembered what Harry had said when we were camping out with Thalia.

"_And then the Ministry was being run by Voldermort, or, well, not him exactly. This man, Pius Thicknesse, he had been put under the imperius curse."_

_"What's that?"_

_"Honestly Percy, have you been listening at all? If you cast it over someone, you have utter control over them."_

Oh.

Well, Annabeth doesn't call me 'Seaweed Brain' for nothing.

I uncapped riptide and turned on Jace.

"Jace," I said clearly. "Are you yourself?"

And then his face changed. From a straight, down turned pout, a desperate edge glinted in his eyes. His mouth opened, and my friend, for however many moments, appeared. "_No_! Percy! Ru—"

And his face changed back.

And his pulled out his seraph blade.

I took a step back. And another.

"Fight back, Jace," I said slowly. "We're friends, _friends_. You don't want to do this. You don't want to, I know you, you're _better _than this."

His face changed to a grimace again, and for a second my hope soared; but then just as quickly it snapped back.

"It is time to die, Percy Jackson," he said evenly. "You and this boy, and your girl, and his, and everyone you love and care for and would weep for, should there passage through death be hastened. You may have defeated the titans, and Gaea and her children, but you have scratched the surface of the power that lies within history."

I looked at my friend, but I could tell so easily that it was not him. The voice may have been, but the words were not.

"Jace…come on, Harry fought it off, you can too."

But now there was nothing, nothing at all except a snarl, and the swinging of his sword.

I stepped back and caught the blade on my own.

Disarm and intercept, defend and parry.

That was the plan.

I stepped forward and aimed for his sword. He brought it around. The caster had realised my intent. I shifted and brought Riptide around to meet him. There was a clash of bronze against blade, once, and then again.

I stepped back. Jace was coming strong and direct. Muscles tuned with hours of training forced themselves upon me. I swung, blocked and twisted. Jace threw another blow, forcing me to push my sword up to near my head. I gasped as the seraph blade missed my head by mere inches. The swords locked together as I threw him off. He stepped forward, and I stepped back. My heel hit the side of the side of the shop opposite the Three Broomsticks. Cornered.

With all the strength I could muster, I hit three times at him. With the first I stepped forward and the virbrations echoed ghostily up my arm. With the next clang, Jace stepped back, his foot shifting on one of the stones that lined the street. With the third I cast my mind back to my 12 year old self. I remembered my first ever sword lesson. I remembered Luke.

Luke who had been taken over, Luke who had not been himself when we fought, Luke who died to save everything that he had, for so long, utterly despised.

And so, with the third, I stepped forward, threw my sword loosely, mobile in my hand. Flicking my hand, his blade clanked against the ground.

I kicked it down the street, praying that it was unlike riptide, that it would stay kicked away.

We regarded each other, sweat dripping into my brow and then down to my eyes. Breathing was short and fast. Jace stood, his face just as impassive as before.

Without allowing him, or myself, any more rest, I charged at him, knocking him the floor, casting Riptide aside as I did.

At least without magically enhanced blades, there was less chance of either of us getting seriously injured.

We rolled around on the ground. Jace shifted his fists three times, and missed my face all but once. Tears streamed uncontrolled from my eyes. He had caught my nose, blood rushed down into my mouth.

Hand to hand was getting us nowhere.

I needed to make a move _now._

Kneeing up as hard as I could, I twisted, reached for my pocket, uncapped riptide and held the sword at his throat.

We stood up unsteadily. I pressed the blade close to his throat.

"Jace, remember…come on, Alec, what about him? Clary? You're killing them if you don't beat this guy. You'll kill them yourself. Come on Jace, _fight back_."

And I watched his face grow from deadened to determined to angry and then back again.

"_Clary, _Jace. _Isabelle, Alec. _For them!"

And his eyes closed, his mouth shifted and his brow clenched.

For five seconds, five heartbeats, three breaths.

And when he opened his eyes again, he was himself.

He blinked three times. "What—"

"Thank the gods," I breathed removing Anaklusmos and capping it again. I shifted it into my pocket.

"Was I—" Jace blinked. "Was I just _possessed_?"

"Not really," I answered, handing back his blade. I watched warily as he pushed it back into his sheath. "You were overtaken by a human."

"Human into human possession?"

I shrugged. "If you like."

"That's disgusting."

"Is it, though?"

Jace gave me a look and clipped me over the head. "Don't be an idiot."

I just grinned.

"So, uh," he cleared his throat. "Thanks for…shaking me out of it."

"Literally."

"No, not literally."

"Uh, yes literally."

"Did you come and shake me, Perce? Did you _really_?"

"No, but I disarmed you and you gave me a blood nose."

"Well, I have learnt two things in a very short amount of time," Jace said. "I have learnt that Perseus Jackson, hero of the universe or whatever, and boyfriend of the smartest chick I have ever met, doesn't know the true meaning of the word literally, and that I am very good at giving blood noses."

"Yeah, thanks for that," I said, wiping the blood on my sleeve and wincing.

"Should we have left the place where my, uh, _possessor_, could still be hanging around?" Jace asked, nervousness creeping into his last few words.

"Well, probably," I said. "But you still don't have your earmuffs. You left them in the Three Broomsticks."

Jace gave me a look. "I forget my most prized possession, and it takes you exactly _how _long to realise I wasn't myself?"

I shrugged. "That's basically how I figured it out."

I went in and got the earmuffs. We tossed it up and decided that the caster would probably be happier if half of his plan had worked out (that Jace had died), rather than none at all. I tried to look appropriately saddened and apologetic as I fetched it from the table we'd been sitting at. It was harder than you think to grab a pair of fluffy earmuffs and look at them regretfully.

But I managed it all without making a huge fool of myself and trekked from the Broomsticks in what I hoped looked like a grief-warped trance.

As soon as I got out, Jace was grinning.

"Well that was a good remedy for cheering up," he said, sniggering and swiping the earmuffs out of my hands. "Don't ever pursue acting, Percy."

"Shut up, you Lastrygonian."

"Ouch. You know right where to insult someone, Percy. I'm wounded."

I tried not to smile, and glared at him. "Shut up."

We walked up through the buildings, and without jokes and cheap jabs, our minds returned to darker things.

"It's started, hasn't it?" I asked grimly as we entered the school gates.

Jace nodded, his jaw set. "It started a while ago, I think."

I shivered as the wind pushed through the sweat that still lingered in my hair and on my clothes. "I wonder if Annabeth has found anything out."

"Or Clary," Jace added absently.

"Or any of them really."

"We know so little," Jace said, kicking at the ground. "You would have thought we'd be told _something_."

"Oh, you know how it is with saving the world," I said, bitterness swallowing every word. "It seems like a good deal when it's given to you. Saviour of the world, saviour of millions! Defeater of darkness and tyrants and everything else wrong and evil. But it's all lies, isn't it? Because how do you know if you're the good guys? Demigods work in service of Gods who lack empathy, who kill at will, who create tempests and diseases when they're mad and gift only when they feel generous. It's not about good and evil anymore. It's about who's worse."

Jace nodded. He looked up at the bright lights drifting from the open windows in the towers of the school. "It's always been about that, I think. It just takes years of maturing and realising to understand it."

And so, Jace and I walked the rest of the length of the way up to the school in a silence that was louder than the words we had spoken. Wrapped up in our heads and dancing with thoughts.

Jace had been taken over.

I had been attacked.

Annabeth had realised what was coming.

Clary had understood why we were chosen.

Ginny was losing faith.

Harry was dreading another war.

So all the soldiers that had been chosen by the angels, and by the gods, and by the fates and the paths of life were beginning to fear.

And that fear was going to drive us all mad.

**I am sooooooo so so sorry for not updating sooner. I also apologise for not replying to the reviews, but my time for both has been devoted to other things.**

**To those waiting for my other Percy Jackson fic: Arranged Allegiances, I am working on it, I promise.**

**I shall update soon, never fear, this fic is not on hiatus :)**

**-MSxx**


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